The Hollows of Remnant
by StoneTimeKeeper
Summary: It began many ages ago with a king who would never die, yet would be forgotten It began again many years ago. When the Dark took over. Life on Earth would have ended. Yet the Dark pulled back, leaving a remnant of what was. Now the Forgotten Lord has arisen, the darkness is returning, and this time, EVERYTHING WILL BE DESTROYED. Life will end. Darkness Falls FILE2 {Pending Rewrite}
1. PRO: A History Long Forgotten

**ERROR-FILE_DAMAGED-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY …/… PARTIAL_FILE_RETRIEVED**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Prologue: A History Long Forgotten

This tale begins many, many years ago. It begins in a way that so many end. With a very impotant man, brought to his knees, ready to accept his death. Maybe it might help to tell a bit about his younger life. There is very little that remains of the story of his younger life.

He had a hard life as a lad. No home to say but he does remember that he was agile and literate...and a thief. In his later years, the agility and intelligence he had as a youth came into play rather well as he found he had a natural talent for pyromancy...and murder. He became a rather well known assassin in the underground of society. He did remember being found out, then subsequently hired by the mad king Oceiros. He became one of the king's assassins. Then he died.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depends on how you see it) for him, he came back to life...or rather unlife? He came back as an undead, forever marked by the darksign. A ring burned onto a body that makes the person immune to death. Should they ever experience death, they would simply resurrect at the nearest bonfire, linked to the first flame. Every time they returned from death, they would hollow. The hollowing was known as the loss of humanity, sanity, and conscious thought. The more hollow an undead became, the more of a mindless killing machine they were.

When he awoke, he found himself in a mass grave. Inside his recently excavated grave (probably grave robbers) he found a worn out looking scythe, a charred pyromancy tome, and a small ring. The ring had no abilities in it whatsoever, purely decorative, yet sentimental...for some unknown reason.

These items convinced him to take on his name, Scythe. He fought his way through the untended graves that he woke up in. It was easy for him to make it through, his old skills as an assassin came to him easily. Muscle memory is not something easily forgotten. His pyromancy helped greatly as well. The guardian, Iudex Gundyr, posed no threat. Past him he found the firelink shrine. Inside he was given a goal to return the lords of cinder to their thrones and link the fire. This he did. When he made it to the first flame and linked the fire, he felt a pain the likes of which he had never felt before. Then he died.

This time, death did not last as long as it had when he first died, but time was different. He awoke in the untended graves, again. Linking the fire had looped time back to when he first woke, except he still had all his weapons and skills. He tried to end it differently. He still linked the fire and he still reawoke in the graves. It seemed that he was caught in a time loop that could not be broken.

It was on his seventh loop that Scythe noticed something odd. He spoke to the fire keeper to ask him about how hollow he was. It was revealed to him that he was full hollow. It was strange that he still felt the threads of humanity within him and that he was not a mindless killing machine. Nevertheless, he was determined to end the cycle. It continued. 26 times, Scythe linked the fire and 26 times he restarted the loop. Although by that time he was immensely powerful and the whole journey was boring. There was something he wasn't doing right. The 27th time he would change it. The must be a way to escape the cycle.

Enter, Yoel of Londor. In all of his journeys through the cycle he had never found the pilgrim. Although, when he did, things finally started to change. The first confusion came from him being called a lord by Yoel. Scythe thought nothing of it, yet he visited Yoel a grand total of five times in firelink to draw out his true strength. After the fifth visit, Yoel was dead and he met Yuria.

Yuria was much more stoic than Yoel and she didn't just call him lord. She called him honorable lord, and eventually Honorable Lord of Hollows. Scythe figured that maybe becoming the lord of hollows would end the accursed cycle that he was stuck in. Thinking on it, the first flame had never done anything for him. It had only ever brought him pain, death, and rising from death to begin again. Maybe the darksign he had been branded with was not a curse but a gift. A gift that allowed him to grow strong enough to not link the accursed first flame but rather to usurp it. End the accursed cycle.

With the resolve to escape, Scythe accepted the title and worked vigorously to achieve the position as lord of hollows. It would be simple for him to actually make to the first flame, or so he thought. There was one major thing that he didn't realize had to happen in order to become the lord of hollows. He had to make sure that there was no enemy that could take the power from him. Thus followed a grueling search throughout all of the land Lothric to make sure that there was no one who could threaten him. Unfortunately he did find one potential threat. A king in the sky.

The Nameless King. Yes, that is what he was really called. Scythe had to kill him. He had not yet reached the Archdragon peak and was quite unprepared for what was bound to happen. The nameless king and his wyvern, The King of the Storm, annihilated Scythe, not once, not even twice but 32 times. The 33rd fight that Scythe had with him, he finally won. He won with nothing but a freezing sword, and lots of sheer dumb luck.

With the Nameless King and his storm drake presumed dead, Scythe finished the loop once again. Except this time, after destroying the soul of cinder one last time, Scythe did not link the fire. Rather, this time he took the power. He became the true honorable lord of hollows. And thus the age of fire ended and the age of hollows began.

Scythe's age of hollows began with him conquering each and every kingdom in the land. First to fall was Lothric, the castle where Scythe set up as his home. Other lands fell not long after. The Boreal Valley that housed Anor Londo fell next, and was the only place that Scythe did wish to rule. Instead he razed it to the ground. The other lands that Scythe went to war with, fell. Resistance was futile. The army of hollows and men loyal to Scythe became the most feared warriors across the land.

Not many people realized it, but a sane hollow could exert his influence and control other hollows. Scythe used this influence, not as tyrant and keep power, but to return sanity to the hollows under his rule. With an army of sane hollows, loyal men, and an unkillable leader, all armies fell within a matter of years. With no one to oppose him, Scythe took power and ruled. He was a fair and benevolent ruler.

And yet, it was not to last forever. 2,000 years is a long time. A rebellion formed within his kingdom. Men who thought he was a tyrant. A lie that they told themselves and other to fuel a rebellion that Scythe would not see coming.

The rebellion started out as peaceful. Simple protests, and signs. Humans who believed them to be better than Scythe. Then they started killing hollows. Then men, women, and children loyal to Scythe. Then anyone who would not pledge allegiance to them. After months of murder, the rebellious made an attack on the castle of Lothric. They came hard and fast. In a matter of minutes they killed all of the guards and innocents in the castle, all in a quest to kill the Lord of Hollows.

Unfortunately for them he escaped. He was only able to grab four of his weapons and two of his rings. He was able to grab his firelink greatsword, his Irithyll straight sword, and the dancers enchanted swords. The rings were the calamity and untrue dark rings. He wore the untrue dark ring to hide amongst the humans as Lothric castle fell.

With the age of hollows over, the age of man began. Scythe, being the last hollow was forced to hide. Always on the run, and still protecting the people. It was during the age of man that a new pursuit began. The pursuit of higher beings. Enter Yharnam. A city consumed with the pursuit of higher beings. A species that was only referred to as the great ones. It was during that night that Scythe collected two more weapons. A scythe known as the Burial Blade and a connected set of twin daggers known as the Blades of Mercy. He also acquired a few items that are known as hunters tools. He calls them the Madaras whistle, Tiny Tonitrus, the old hunters bone, and the beast roar. All of these he claims to have enhanced with his pyromancy. It is strange considering that most of these were activated with quicksilver bullets, a n unholy fusion of mercury and a hunter's own blood. Scythe doesn't have any blood, thus he used pyromancy instead.

Scythe refuses to divulge what happened in Yharnam that night, other than that and the fact that after it ended, he burned the city to the ground. The rest of the age of man really consisted of him on the run and enhance his pyromantic abilities. Something that he had neglected to do during his rule as Lord of Hollows. His abilities as a pyromancer grew to an impressively impossible degree. The only other real important thing that happened to Scythe in the age of man was that he did aquire a firearm in the early two thousands. It was simple nine millimeter pistol, that he had to enhance with his pyromancy because, as he said, why not. It was with this pistol that he decided to rename all of his weapons. The pistol he referred to as Firework. The Burial Blade became Bloodstain. the Dancer's enchanted swords became Blazing and Judgement. The Irithyll straight sword he called Frostbite. His Firelink Greatsword was named Bonfire, and his Blades of Mercy became Kindness and Compassion. It was rather uneventful...until the end of the age. I am starting to see a pattern here.

Scythe did not understand what happened, but he felt a massive release of magic. Then a few months after, the world went dark. A flood of what could only be described as liquid darkness covered the whole earth. Scythe was able to protect himself with his pyromantic abilities. He never knew what happened exactly, only that the age of the dark began in a small town in Oregon. His story ends here as he was forced into a deep cryo sleep and hidden from the world. He was missing from the planet for nearly two hundred years.

During the age of the dark, humanity was being prepared to defend themselves. The darkness that covered the earth disappeared almost as soon as it appeared. The darkness did not completely disappear. Pools of the darkness remained, and from them spawned monsters with no soul.

It was during this age of darkness that humans found a crystallized rock, infused with energy. With it, humans were able to defend themselves from the darkness. They fought back and named the material they found, dust. With it at their side, humans were able to defend themselves and build settlements. These settlements eventually grew into kingdoms. In these kingdoms, people of influence built schools and academies to train each coming generation to fight the monsters of darkness.

Though the original name has long since been changed to the creatures of Grimm, they are still the same as what they once were just mindless!$**&^%$#%&... _ **without me. Oh how my poor stupid creations wish for my return. If only I had thought of hiding myself in a place where I would be able to exert a much more powerful sphere of influence and suggestion. Oh well. The apeirohedron is simply sealed away, yet the four I predicted are finally awake. The Forgotten Lord is asleep. The Thundering King has heard my call. The Deceived Knight is on his way. And the Reaper's Child has been accepted. It will only be a matter of time before I return.**_

 _ **Scythe Hollow. I know you can hear me. You will have old powers of fire and souls. You will be able to see the souls again. You will control the ash as you once did. and your cursed fire will drain the life as it is meant to. Now rise I say. Come and free me from this impossible prison. It's time to wake up. AAAHahahahahahahaha...**_

 **Data Log DF008-Information-I have been told that the original data files under the title of The Hollows of Remnant, need to be...redone. Data corruption has unfortunately destroyed the second part of the file, and the first part may spread a virus to the rest of the system. Therefore the original file has been deleted. In other news, I hope you all had a good thanksgiving.**

 **Input command- express gratitude- Thank you to all who read this, your feedback is much appreciated as is your views. If problems are found, then please explain how to fix the problem. Input command-tip_hat...Command accepted. Input command-Close**

 **Goodbye viewer, Fare thee well**

 **End Log S.T.K.**

 **He is the Dark. The Dark is one. He is the Dark. The Dark has won.**

 **Data_Corruption-Begin_Fle_Recovery.../...**


	2. CH1: First Impressions

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 1: First Impressions

 **...** _ **hahahaha ha...ha. Hello? I said WAKE UP!**_

With a deep breath and panicked breath, he woke up. The telepathic shout in his mind had startled him more than anything else. He knew he had been asleep, and he knew that a large chunk of time had passed, he just hadn't expected to be woken by a mental shout. Nor had he been expecting to be put to sleep.

It had all happened so suddenly, he was walking through the blackened remains of what was left of earth after the flood of darkness, then sleep. He didn't get a name of the person who put him in a cryo sleep but he did hear a voice. He could never forget the smooth and almost mechanical voice that suggested he go to sleep.

That is beside the point. He had awoken in...a tomb. At least it was a nice tomb. His weapons and tools were all on display and he had been sleeping in what looked like a modified cryochamber. The chamber simply looked like a coffin. Whoever had forced him to sleep had really gone all out with the chamber. The walls were intricately carved with images of monsters being slain. Creatures that he would not recognize anywhere. And that is saying something as he had seen many a strange creature. Each of his weapons were carefully set in display cases, except Frostbite. It hanging by the hilt from the center of the room. It gave the room a cold feeling. His hunter tools were all mounted on the wall behind his coffin cryochamber thingy.

He set about gathering his weapons. It felt good for him to have them back. He check his armor as well. His undead armor and leggings were in good condition. His outrider guanteletes were still protective, just not shiny any more, but his fallen knight helm was somehow damaged to the point of being unwearable. It was sad, he quite liked that helm. The only other head covering he had that was even slightly protective was Gehrman's hunter cap. He liked the old hat well enough. His bottomless satchel was still brown and bottomless. All that remained for him to check was his flame. With a simple thought and a snap of his fingers, his left hand burst into a bright flame, tinged with black. His pyromancy still felt as hot and soul crushing as ever.

Who was he? If someone were asked that question they would most likely say, 'I don't know'. Some might call him a derogatory name, or give a general stereotype. He had gone by many aliases over the years, but he still knew who he was. He was the Last Hunter of Yharnam, The Ashen One, but most importantly, he was Scythe Hollow, the Honorable Lord of Hollows. Each of his titles he had earned through power, fear, and hard work, respectively.

And right now, the Honorable Lord of Hollows was currently trapped underground. In his own tomb. Of course, the name Scythe Hollow was still a hunted name when he was forced to sleep. The men that had stormed his castle found out rather quickly that he had somehow escaped from them. Naturally, they spread lies about him to make people fear the once benevolent ruler. As time went on, though, these lies became nothing more than tales, and legends. Stories to scare people around the campfire. There were still small groups of people who believed him to be alive, thus the aliases, yet most people chalked the stories of the unkillable king up to fantasy and myth.

Nevertheless, Scythe was in tomb and had his tools and weapons all equipped. And his rings. He only had two left. One was the untrue dark ring, a ring with the ability to hide his true form from the world and make him look human. The other ring was his most useless ring, the calamity ring. This ring had the, oh so useful, power to make the person who wore it weaker. This ring Scythe would only wear when he was training. It gave him the feeling of being weak. Something he rarely, if ever, felt nowadays.

His musings were broken by the sound of what he presumed to be muffled voices. Unfortunately the only way for him to guarantee a way out, was straight up. He figured he couldn't be that far underground. Unfortunately, Scythe had absolutely no idea how to get out. Yet, there was one major lesson he learned from his time in the cycle, try anything. If death occurs, try something else.

The first, and probably the simplest solution, that he tried was a fireball. It did nothing except heat up the rock. Next came to poke it with Bonfire. That did nothing. Scythe tried several other basic pyromancies and attacks on the ceiling. Nothing was working. He was about to give up when he heard a dull thud, followed by the sight of a small crack. A very tiny crack, but a crack nonetheless. He decided to try something he had very little practice with.

During his time in the age of man, while practicing his pyromancies, Scythe discovered that he could perform miracles and sorceries with his pyromantic flame. It was very dangerous as the base sorcery or miracle would mix with his pyromancy, but by combining a homing crystal soulmass with a profaned flame, he could probably break a hole in the rock, or just cause a massive explosion of crystallized fire...Or both.

Willing forth his pyromantic flame and preparing to fire the profaned flame at the ceiling, Scythe willed the fire to start to crystalize. The result was his pyromantic flame turning a green color. He threw his arm out in a sweeping motion to his side, and sent the flame into the tiny crack. Almost immediately, the crack exploded, much larger than anticipated, and Scythe wished he had taken cover.

* * *

Everything had been going smoothly thus far. The group of initiate students for the prestigious Beacon Academy had not been hurt. Sure Jaune and Pyrrha had been on the run to the ruins for their relic from a cave while being chased by a Deathstalker scorpion, Nora and Ren had entered via a dying Ursa, and Ruby and Weiss had coming flying in on the back of a giant Nevermore, but they were all relatively uninjured and at the ruins in the Emerald Forest. All in all, it was to be expected

What was not expected after everyone had ridden/ran into the clearing was for a massive explosion to occur and destroy the ruin. Force of the blast sent the group sprawling. As they got up, Nora was distracted by the floating crystals. Everyone else was looking at the, surprisingly, unburnt man who had just come out of the new hole in the ground.

Even his tattered red cape and black hat looked completely unharmed from the fiery blast. He climbed out of the hole and started looking around. It almost looked like he hadn't seen the sun for a very long time. The group started picking themselves up and getting over their shock when they heard the roar of several grimm. Looking up, Ruby saw the Nevermore that she and Weiss had hitched a ride on circling around to attack. The Jaune, Ren, and Nora looked over and saw a Deathstalker come crashing through the trees chasing Pyrrha. Blake, Yang and Weiss behind the armored man and saw King Taijitu slither from the forest.

The armored man must have taken notice of the giant snake as well, for he turned around a watched as it came forward and coiled around itself. The two stared each other down. The contest was ended when the armored person spoke in a calm voice that commanded authority.

"You look like you would get along well with tNepres." He said. Looking over at the group he said, "Stay back."

Ruby looked at Yang and asked "Ne-press?"

Yang simply shrugged.

The armored figure pulled out a small rusty whistle from his satchel and blew it. A single shrill note resounded throughout the clearing. It was loud enough to make the grimm shriek in pain from the extreme high pitch. The group of initiates rushed to cover their ears. Once the sound dissipated, nothing seemed to happen. Even the grimm seemed confused. Then under the King Taijitu a large circle of crimson blood started to form. It looked like the massive snake grimm was bleeding, but grimm don't bleed.

Looking around, the group of initiates saw a large amount of grimm entering the clearing, as if drawn to the sound of the whistle. The armored man also noticed and started laughing. From one of his sheaths he drew a sinister looking scimitar.

"We get to bath in the blood of these soulless creatures today, Bloodstain. Come tNepres, eat your fill." the armored knight called in a loud commanding voice.

The circle of blood under the King Taijitu started to bubble. The group looked on expectedly. Then fear. A snake head far larger than the king Taijitu erupted from the pool and swallowed the grimm whole. It continued to rise out of the pool and followed the command of its master. The impossibly large snake moved throughout the clearing and started to devour the grimm. The armored man looked at them briefly before joining in the fun. He swung his blade at the grimm with deadly accuracy, beheading and delimbing the monsters with each swing. It was at this point that common sense returned to the group.

"Guys we should just go. We were just told to gather the relics, not that we had to actually kill everything." Jaune spoke up.

Without arguing, the group got up and ran to the cliffs where initiation had started. Unfortunately, a Deathstalker and Nevermore them go and decided to follow rather than deal with a massive snake.

* * *

'They left. Good.' Scythe thought to himself. Those kids looked like they were barely in training. With them gone, he could really wreak havoc. Scythe stretched forth his hand and commanded the crystallized fire to attack. The crystal homing soulmass that enhanced the pyromancy hit the black monsters with deadly accuracy.

Scythe rapidly decided that he didn't like these monsters. They yielded very few to no souls, mostly blood echoes. Of course he could still use the echoes, but souls were better. Only the really large ones were releasing souls and very very small one too. At least tNepres was enjoying himself. The massive Madaras Serpent had been loyal to Scythe ever since Yharnam, and had still been a really large serpent, but he really started to grow once the city burned.

The numbers of the black monsters were starting to thin. Which was good. With fewer monsters, Scythe could get a better look at his surroundings. But first he had to say goodbye to tNepres...who was already going back to...wherever it was that he came from. The clearing was now free from the black monsters and giant serpents.

With the area quiet, Scythe looked around. He was a forest, no surprise there. Just a lot of green and trees. Walking back to what had been his tmb, Scythe saw that it was gone. Completely destroyed, now it was just a hole in the ground, he would definitely have to work on harnessing his mixing of magics more. He need to rejuvenate, and there was no better way to do that than rest at a bonfire or drink some estus.

Pulling his small golden flask from his satchel, Scythe noted that it was empty. No matter, he could make a bonfire, that was the name of one of his blades after all. The clearing he was in wouldn't do however. It was too open. With that in mind, Scythe walked off in the opposite direction of the group that had run off earlier.

His walk was quite peaceful, save the occasional encounter with the strange black monsters. To Scythe they looked and felt eerily similar to the darkness that had flooded the Earth those many years ago. It seemed that he had been asleep for a long time. This was still earth, just it was a remnant of what it once was. He was walking now, and actually had some time to reflect.

'How much time has passed. It might be safe to assume that when the earth flooded in darkness that they started the counting of years over. Yet I don't know how long since that happened. I can't believe that I am still connected to the dream. I thought that by killing the moon presence I would be free. And what are those black monsters? Who put me to sleep? Why was I put to sleep? I feel like all of these are connected somehow. I should also probably think of an alias to assume while here. Don't want people hunting me because I am Scythe Hollow. Oh look, a lake.'

Scythe walked up to the shore of the small lake. There didn't seem to be any civilization near him. He could sense the souls of people a few miles north but other than that, nothing. It seemed as good a spot as any. Calling forth his pyromantic flame, Scythe let out a fire surge to scorch the ground and create a bed of ash. Once that was done, he reached in and pulled out some undead bone shards. He placed them in a pile, unsheathed Bonfire, and stabbed the pile of ash and bone. With the makeshift bonfire set, Scythe ignited it and sat down to rest.

* * *

"JACK! We have a problem!"

"Reaper? What are you doing here? And what is the problem?"

"The timeline where he is imprisoned, the third has awakened, and we have no idea who the fourth is."

"Calm down, friend. Which one do we not know?"

"We don't know about the Thundering King."

"Very well. Find us a way to enter the timeline, undetected. He must be destroyed, no matter the cost."

"Of course."

"And Reaper…"

"Yeah Jack?"

"Please try to refrain from massive destruction. We don't want a repeat of the moon."

"Of course. It's just a recon mission, right? What's the worst that could happen?"

"Farewell then. BRONZE! Grab the Reaver. We need to be ready."

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

 **Data Log DF009 - Input command - Make_Note *have Bronze run anti-virus protocols*. Input command - express_gratitude - Thank you to all who read this, your feedback is much appreciated as is your views. Input command-tip_hat...Command accepted. Input command-Close**

 **Goodbye viewer, Fare thee well**

 **End Log S.T.K.**

He is the Dark. The Dark is one. He is the Dark. The Dark has won.


	3. CH2: Uneasy Rest

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 2: Uneasy Rest

Rest and sleep. Two things that many people find valuable. Two things that Scythe Hollow could not experience. They were things he had not experienced for a long time. Since the fall of his kingdom, he could not truly rest. Whenever he had to rest, he would be plagued by memories of his past. Events that occurred during the last years of his reign, to certain unnamed atrocities that he had committed afterward. Simply put, his past haunts him.

He had no ability to sleep either. He lost that ability in Yharnam. Even after freeing Gehrman and destroying the accursed Moon Presence, the Hunter's Dream remained. He was a hollow so he could not actually turn into one of the strange interdimensional beings. Nonetheless, he was still connected to the dream.

There was only one time that he had entered the dream after he burned Yharnam. In that one instance, he had met another great one. A great one with far more power, knowledge, and insight than any that Scythe had faced before. This great one made claims of the one who kept the dream alive. Scythe was not too happy with this development, and tried to force this great one to end the dream permanently. Despite having killed several great ones already, this one beat him easily. Scythe exited the dream, and has not slept since. He does still have a score to settle with it though.

With no ability to rest or sleep, Scythe had to get creative and make another means of recuperating, and refilling his estus. So through many different trials and experiments, Scythe ended up with a pyromantic bonfire. It didn't allow his body the same rest as a bonfire connected to the first flame allowed, but it worked. Resting at his pseudo-bonfire gave him the best time to think about things. He would still be frozen in time, just like with a normal first flame bonfire. The familiarity also allowed him to have a little rest, despite the haunting memories, and Bonfire still refilled his estus.

At times though, estus wasn't enough. At times, there was almost nothing that he wouldn't do for a strong drink to dull his mind. Normal drinks, like beers, wines, or alcohols were never strong enough. For most, that would be a problem. Scythe was not most. In Yharnam, he had found quite a liking, and subsequent intoxication, with the cities pungent blood cocktails. He never had use for the blood vials he found everywhere, so he tried to figure out how to make the cocktails from the healing blood. His efforts were successful, but he had left them in the dream. He would never go back, if he could help it.

The creatures of darkness that he had fought all fell to easily to his blade. They did put up a fight, but it was simply much easier than what he was used to. If the black monsters could actually think, then it would be a more fair fight. There was one benefit to the mindless monsters. tNepres had never been better fed. Though he liked to make it look like it, Scythe had no control over the massive serpent. He just called it whenever there was a good source of food.

Thinking about it now, Scythe couldn't help but feel that the darkness that the monsters were made of was somehow familiar. He couldn't dwell on that now, he had been resting long enough. Getting up, he pulled the sword out of the pile of burnt bone shards. They were useless now. The makeshift bonfire extinguished and Scythe walked off. He had no destination in mind, he just wanted to explore. And so, off he went.

It had been nearly two weeks since the initiations, and the knight had not been seen since. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but it was. The knight's allegiances were unknown. His armor armor wasn't recognizable. His weapons looked ancient, and he had literally blown his way out from underneath the ruins in the emerald forest. On top of all that, there were no records of a knight like the one from initiations anywhere. Though it may not have looked like it, this had Ozpin slightly worried.

It might not have been a bad idea to send out a team on a scouting mission, but there was the giant snake that he called. The name of that monster was unfamiliar as well. Nepres? It didn't seem like it was from a foreign language, or that it meant anything. That was besides the point.

* * *

The knight needed to be found. He could pose a danger if he proved to be an enemy. He could also be a powerful ally. Either way, it was fairly easy to track him. Grimm populations nearly completely vanished wherever he went. A bullhead could easily catch up to him, but it was highly unlikely any of the students were ready. Except, maybe team RWBY. They showed a lot of potential, and they worked well as a team. But this knight...he showed himself to be on a skill level far beyond any of the first year students. Heck, he was still far beyond many of the fourth year students. The most logical choice to bring in the knight was Glynda and himself. Actually it was the only choice. With that in mind, he made the call.

"Glynda, would you clear up your schedule for the day." Ozpin said. "We have a knight to find. Meet me at the nearest available bullhead in half an hour."

Ozpin grabbed his cane and entered the elevator. On the way down, he thought that the knight might have skill beyond even him and Glynda combined. He certainly seemed like a well seasoned warrior. There was no way he was invincible. He had to be beatable. On to the bullhead.

Scythe was bored. The black monsters had stopped appearing. It was probably tNepres. The massive serpent had found quite a liking to the flesh of whatever the monsters were. There wasn't much that could be done about the whereabouts of the black monsters, so he continued walking.

It did not take too long for the monotony of the forest to be broken. A dull thrum could be heard from overhead. Looking up, Scythe found that the dull thrum did come from overhead. It was a large plane of some sort. That was definitely new. Any hopes that the cryosleep had not lasted very long were dashed. This vehicle was far more advanced than any flying vehicles back before Scythe had been forced to sleep. The vehicle looked like it was coming in for a landing. He decided that meeting the person/persons in the vehicle would probably be the best course of action … and see of his new alias would work.

Scythe ran to the edge of a nearby clearing where the vehicle was landing. The bay door on the back opened and two people descended. The first was a man who looked middle aged. He had silver hair, a green scarf and a cane. Scythe immediately knew that the cane was not just a cane but also a weapon. He had a weaponized cane at one point as well. The other person was a woman with blonde hair and a purple tattered cape. Not tattered like his, but more stylized.

It looked like they were not here to fight, but at the same time would do so at a moment's notice. They could prove to be fearsome foes, or valuable allies. A diplomatic approach could be beneficial to him in this case. Thus, sheathing his sword, Scythe walked out into the clearing.

They both saw him and immediately, the woman tensed and prepared to fight. The man remained calm. A long awkward silence ensued...or in Scythe's mind, the staring contest had begun. He would be the one to end the silence.

"I would advise against attacking me. I may be unarmed, but I can still kill you." Scythe called across the clearing.

The man made a motion to the woman with his hand, and the woman untensed. Then he spoke.

"I would prefer it if we didn't have to fight today. Maybe we could come to an agreement." the man said. "I will start. My name is Ozpin, and this is Glynda Goodwitch."

'No last name. Either he doesn't have one, or is trying not to give up too much information.' Scythe thought. 'Clever'.

"You can call me, Isaac." Scythe did a dignified bow. "Isaac Crimston."

"Well then Mr. Crimston, may I ask how you came to be under the small temple in the emerald forest?" Ozpin asked.

"Well Mr. Ozpin, you can ask that. And to answer I have to say...I don't know." Scythe responded. "How many years has it been since the planet was bathed in darkness?"

"That is an interesting question to ask. It has been hundreds if not thousands of years. Why? Do you not know?" Ozpin responded.

"No. The last thing I remember from before falling asleep was...sunlight. A world shrouded in darkness, then sunlight..." Scythe said.

If Ozpin was surprised, he didn't show it. The only legends or stories of people or beings from the time before the darkness covered the planet were of the Keepers of Reality and the Harbingers of Infinity. Four beings of ultimate power against three beings of infinite power. The darkness, and subsequently the grimm, were said to be created by the harbinger of space and time. Yet these legendary beings could not exist. The existence of the maidens proved that. Besides if they did exist, their work would be seen.

"Why don't you come back to Beacon with us? We can help you orient you in time." Ozpin said.

The knight simply nodded and walked by them into the bullhead. Glynda gave Ozpin a look that clearly said 'you are a madman' then walked aboard. Ozpin hoped that this knight was not one of the legendary keepers. If he was, then Remnant was in far more trouble than anyone could have thought.

* * *

 _ **Interesting. Ozpin has offered The Forgotten Lord a home at his academy. The Reaper's Child is here, and the Deceived Knight is here too, but who are they? I can't influence them to release me. I don't need to influence The Forgotten Lord either. That leaves one more. The Thundering King must be called now. He shall descend from his mountain, and all the pieces will be in place.**_

 _ **I am slowly losing influence from this self imposed prison, but they shall soon release me. The four I saw shall allow the darkness to come forth.**_

 _ **Time is short. Hear my call, Nameless. Head my word. It is time for you to awaken. Come to Vale. Find your quarry, and free me. It is time to awaken. The Darkness will return!**_

That night, a roar that was louder and more ancient than any grimm, was heard across Remnant. No one slept well. The Thundering King had awoken from death.

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

 **Data Log DF010 - Information - Expect no updates for a brief time. Celebrating over the holidays, so I wish you a Merry Christmas. Input command - express_gratitude - Thank you to all who read this, your feedback is much appreciated as is your views. Input command-tip_hat...Command accepted. Input command-Close**

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 **End Log S.T.K.**

He is the Dark. The Dark is one. He is the Dark. The Dark has won.


	4. CH3: Reasons to Trust

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 3: Reasons to Trust

The ride to beacon was uneventful with Isaac silent the whole time. Walking through the halls after arriving was uneventful, except students would stop and stare at the stranger in unknown armor. The elevator up to Ozpin's office was silent and awkward. The silence in the room was deafening. Ozpin had just told Isaac the year, and either didn't believe them, or was too shocked to say anything.

Since entering the building, Ozpin had Glynda see if she could find anything about the stranger in front of them. The search had come up with nothing. Absolutely no records existed of the man named Isaac Crimston. His face didn't match any records, criminal or otherwise. It was as if he had just appeared out of thin air. BUt that didn't happen. He came from the ground. Glynda started asking questions.

"Could you tell us where your from?" She asked.

"..." Silence.

"Who are you, really? Isaac Crimston doesn't exist." she asked after a minute of silence.

"..." More silence.

Glynda was starting to get frustrated. Isaac simply stared. Completely oblivious to the world around him. Glynda asked a few more simple question, noe of which were answered.

"Would you please answer our questions?" Ozpin asked after Glynda's most recent question was met with silence. The knight finally spoke.

"Why should I?" He asked.

"Because when you asked us your questions, we answered them." Glynda responded.

"Not good enough." Isaac simply replied.

"What do you mean?" Ozpin calmly asked.

"That is not a good enough reason. I don't trust you. If I were you, I would not have answered my questions until you knew you could trust me." Isaac said. "Perhaps, a legend is the best way to explain it. Have you heard the tale of the fall of the unkillable tyrant?"

"No. That story doesn't sound familiar." Ozpin answered.

Isaac told them the tale. "It all begins with one king. A ruler who was strong and powerful. Masterful in the ways of swordplay and magic. A genius, in all terms of the word. He was brilliant in the court, a master tactician on the battlefield, and a truly just judge on the throne. He and his wife ruled, side by side in peace for years. When another nation came up to fight against him, he would lead his army on the field of battle and crush his enemy. Wars would only end when he conquered or the opposing side surrendered and begged for peace. He was considered unkillable for good reason. He was first into battle and last out of it. He never lost a duel. He never faltered in his rule. All assassination attempts would fail, and wars were never lost. He truly earned his title as unkillable."

"He was never a tyrant. Those were all rumors. When he won a duel, people began to say he cheated. Wars were won with honor; the people said it was underhanded spies and tricks. Assassinations failed; there were claims that they were all planned by him. Anything he did right, others tried to change to make him seem evil. In all of this, there were only two things that everyone agreed on. One, the king had a beautiful queen, and two, the king had problem with trusting people."

"While the king lived his life in court, there was one disgruntled commoner. His brother had died in the last war, and he blamed the king. But what could one man do against the ruling power? A lot actually. He was the one who started most of the rumors, but all the while he had a long term plan in mind. He went far and wide, gathering support to overthrow the king. In a little over three years, he had gathered for himself a veritable army of people who believed his lie that the king was a tyrant and needed to be overthrown. All that was missing was timing. Fortunately for the rebellion, they did not have to wait long.

"Five days passed. When the announcement was made in the capital. The queen was pregnant. They now had a time. They just had to wait for the baby. In months time when the queen was due, they put their plan into motion. The leader of the rebellious people, showed up to court to begin the transition."

"It was a really tense day for the king. His queen was due any day now, and there were rumors spreading throughout his kingdom that he was really a bad guy. The appearance of the leader of the rebellion did not help at all. The king had no knowledge of who he was, but when the man came in with a limp, burnt clothes, and a claim that an army had invaded and was ravaging the land, he decided to trust what the injured man was saying. He ordered his general, a woman of skill and renown, to take the army to the place that the man told the army was last seen. Without hesitation, she complied. The army was mobilized and marching in a matter of hours. The next day, the queen gave birth to a boy. An heir to the king's throne. The leader knew that the time was almost right. He would receive word in three days. Of what happened. The king's army went to where the invading army supposedly was, and found an ambush waiting for them. It was so well planned, that they all fell. Even the general."

"Message came to the leader of the rebellion that the king's trust of him had led to the death of his entire army. When he got word that the army was dead, the leader of the rebellion started the next phase of his plan. He convinced the people of the capital to rally against their king. His way with words won over most of the citizens. They grabbed whatever they could use as a weapon and stormed the castle. They killed the guards, the servants, the staff, everyone who was not part of the royal family. The leader, quietly stole away from the crowd while they were busy slaughtering the castle's residents. He went to the queen's chambers. There, while she slept, he cut off her head. In an act of cruel torture, he dressed as one of the kings servers, and put her head on a silver platter."

"The king had heard the commotion outside the throne room. He had just returned from his son's room and was waiting to be served. He had ordered his advisor, an experienced sorcerer, to take his son and flee the castle. When the servant entered, the king saw not food, but his wife's head. Seeing that, he broke down into sobs and mourned the loss of his wife. He looked up, and saw the face of the man who had told him of the invading army. In an instant he realized what had happened. This man was overthrowing the king. Determined to not give him the satisfaction of victory, the king used his magic to light the man in front of him on fire. The man fell to the ground trying to douse the flames, and the king took his wife's head back to her chambers. There, he set her head back on her body, and lit it on fire. The fire spread and consumed the entire castle. All of the people in the castle did not make it out in time as the building came down around them. The king's son, was never found. They did find the bodies of the king and his queen, but some still believed the king to be alive. And to think, none of it would have happened if the king hadn't been so trusting."

"So you'll forgive me if I decline to trust in you, Mr. Ozpin." Isaac said, concluding the story.

They were a little shocked. Sure it was just a legend, but all legends have their basis in truth. To think that something that terrible could have happened was a bit shocking. It left Glynda speechless, and ozpin had one question.

"How does a legend, a truly tragic one at that, relate to the fact that you will not trust us?" he asked.

"I've had too many...similar situations. And you have not given me a reason to trust you." Isaac responded.

"We saved you." Glynda said.

"HA. You didn't save me, you were apprehending a possible threat!" Isaac barked.

"No we-" Glynda started.

"Don't deny it!" Isaac interrupted. "I am a possible threat to you. The only things you know about me is that my name is that I go by the name Isaac Crimston, I am good with weapon, and i have a giant pet serpent that can swallow those creatures of darkness whole. I will tell you one thing though, that serpent is not under my control. I only named it and can call it."

"You are right. We didn't save you, we were apprehending a possible threat." Ozpin said matter of factly. "And surely you know that trust is a two way streak. I have put some trust in you."

"Then you are a fool. Trusting someone you don't know is a surefire way to end up dead." Isaac responded.

"Well, at least you trust us little bit." Ozpin said. "After all, if you did not trust us, then you would not have willingly got on the bullhead. And as I said, we were apprehending a possible threat. That is why I would like to offer you a position here, as a combat instructor."

"What? Ozpin, are you mad?!" Glynda said, shocked. "Besides, that position is already filled."

"Clever." Isaac mumbled to himself.

"Glynda, you needn't worry. He won't be taking your job. He will teach his own course, with his own weapons, powers, and ideas. Now Mr. Crimston, do you accept?" Ozpin said. "And may I ask what was so clever?"

"You want me to take up a teaching position here so that you can keep an eye on me. Right?" Isaac said.

"Yes." Ozpin responded.

"Very well. I will accept on three conditions. One, you do not ask any more about me or my past, unless doing so will prevent someone from dying. Even then I will not guarantee an answer. Two, I will be given certain...accommodations, during my stay here. And three, I will be allowed to find out if I can trust you. Deal?" Isaac said extending his hand.

"That depends on the accommodations and the third stipulation." Ozpin said.

"Accommodations will be a room and board, access to a forge or blacksmith, access to a training arena, and letting me go hunt. As for the third stipulation, that has yet to be decided, but when I decide, you will comply. Deal?" Isaac asked again, hand still extended.

"Very well. That can be arranged." Ozpin said, rising and grasping Isaac's hand. "Glynda, find Mr. Crimston a room, and I will get the time slots set up for his classes. Mr. Crimston, you will be expected to start next week."

Isaac nodded and he was about to enter the elevator, when he remembered something.

"Ozpin, I will need one more accommodation. I will be needing three maps, one of this school, one of the nearby city, and one of the whole planet." Isaac said.

Ozpin smirked and said "That can be arranged."

Isaac entered the elevator and the doors closed. Glynda still stood next to Ozpin, looking at the available rooms where Isaac could stay. She found a couple.

"Sir, the there are several available rooms, most of them student dorms." she said.

"Put him in the same hall as that of teams RWBY and JNPR." Ozpin responded.

"May I ask why? Also why did you so readily accept a deal with a stipulation that could get you killed?" Glynda asked as she assigned the empty dorm next to team RWBY to Isaac.

"First, I believe that teams RWBY and JNPR will be able to convince him that we are trustworthy. And as he said, I would like him here so I can keep and eye on him. I don't doubt that he would be able to destroy this entire school on his own. He is an extremely powerful individual. I don't want to be against him."

Somewhat satisfied with his answer, Glynda nodded and took the elevator down. This was going to be a very interesting year.

* * *

Atlas…

"Sir, we have a problem! There is a flying beast, more massive than any grimm, terrorizing the city! On its back is what appears to be a giant of a man, and he is doing more damage than the beast he rides!"

"Well, shoot them down then."

"We are trying sir, our bullets are ineffective against the monster and the man. They have what appears to be some sort of control over lightning. The man somehow, seems to be able to deflect our bullets with his massive sword...spear? His weapon!"

"Can we try luring them away from the city?"

"Sir nothing can keep the beasts attention. We don't know what to do. We have started moving the citizens to safety. But this is attracting more and more grimm. What do we do?"

"Focus on keeping the citizens safe. Attack any grimm that get too close. If the two that you are describing come by, take cover. If what you are saying is true then we can't fight them with bullets. Soldier?"

"Sir, I am getting word that the beast and man and...flying...away? He's retreating? Sir, they are gone."

"Strange. Soldier, send a message to other kingdoms, warn them of this flying beast and its rider."

"Yes Sir."

* * *

 _ **The Hollow is here. Come to me. Your revenge will be swift, sweet, and cold.**_

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

 **Data Log DF011 - Information - HAPPY NEW YEAR. Welcome to 2018. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas season. Input command - express_gratitude - Thank you to all who read this, your feedback is much appreciated as is your views. Input command-tip_hat...Command accepted. Input command-Close**

 **Goodbye viewer, Fare thee well**

 **End Log S.T.K.**

He is the Dark. The Dark is one. He is the Dark. The Dark has won.


	5. CH4: Interesting Developments

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 4: Interesting Developments

 _ **Greetings my friend. Now, now. There is no need to be violent. We are simply in your mind. I am not here to hurt you, I just want to make a deal. You heard my call already, but I suppose I should introduce myself. I am Icosa Hedron, the Dark. Now, back to business, you wanted to find the Hollow, and I have showed you where he is...but you still have a problem, do you not?**_

 _ **Indeed, you can't kill him, or rather, you can't keep him dead. A hollow linked to the first flame, will die, but won't stay that way, right? Of course I'm right. I can help you keep the Hollow dead. That is what you want right. A traditional revenge plot? The solution is simple. Unlink him from the first flame.**_

 _ **Yes I know he usurped the fire, but in doing so, he became the fire. He is the vessel within which the first flame resides, thus he is still linked. I can give you the power to unlink him, if only momentarily. Yet that should be enough for him to embrace death. I just need you to do something for me. I need you to free me. Find my prison, and throw it into a lake beyond the ruins in the emerald forest.**_

 _ **No, I am not the abyss. The Abyss, as you knew it, was destroyed a long time ago. It was merely a place, a darkness with no purpose. I am a darkness, yes. But I am more of a living Darkness. I am powerful, yes. I have the power to give you the power to unlink the Hollow...and maybe give you a voice. Do we have a deal? Yes? EXCELLENT! A pleasure doing business with you my nameless friend. I do request that you wait for the time to be right.**_

 _ **I know what your thinking when will it be right, and what you will think, how can I do that? The time will be right when the beacon of Vale darkens. I can do that easily. My power may be limited in my self imposed prison, but I still have it. I can darken the beacon for a momentary five minutes. Then the time will be right. We will meet again. In due time.**_

* * *

The last few days had been rough, and slow for Scythe. He had arrived at the school and had his interrogation with Ozpin on friday. Saturday through today he was under constant watch by Ozpin. Scythe had seen the cameras when he arrived, but when he would enter a room, the cameras would instantly focus on him. Ozpin may have been a fool for putting trust in him, heck he was a fool for doing the same, but he saw now that ozpin was a cautious fool.

Saturday, he spent in the library. If he was going to have a professor's position at Beacon, then he needed to have the knowledge to do so. There he learned about several interesting developments in mankind that had not been there when he went to sleep. He had noticed it before, but the most obvious change was aura. People, literally wearing their souls on their sleeve. How easy it would be for a hollow to claim the power-NO! He couldn't think like that. He was not a mindless hollow. He was Scythe Hollow, the Honorable Lord of Hollows, or Isaac Crimston, professor.

This aura, it acted like a shield for the human's body, absorbing and healing damage. Not very useful to Scythe, his soul consisted of nothing more than the stolen souls of those he killed, mixed with echoes stored in the blood of his more eldritch victims. A direct effect of the aura was semblance, a power that a person has and is powered by their aura. Again useless. Scythe had his ability to figure out the endurance and identities of those with and without souls, and he could analyze their fighting style in moments.

There was one book that talked about the faunus. It was an interesting read. They had highly advanced senses It reminded Scythe of the way hollows were treated after Lothric fell. Although, compared to the hollows, the faunus might as well have been having feasts and parties with the humans. They were not being hunted down and slaughtered by the hundreds of thousands. There was also something in that book about silver eyed warriors, but they were so few in number that any information on them was negligible.

The final thing that Scythe read about was dust. Crystals infused with energy, capable of releasing it in a variety of ways and forms. Scythe found himself more bored with that topic than any other. His pyromancy was way more advanced than any of the dusts that he read about. Ever since he started mixing miracles, sorceries and pyromancies, he had gained even more unique and overpowered combinations.

Sunday, was more rough than boring. Scythe tried to find a forge, but got rather lost in the halls. His near permanent scowl tended to drive away anybody who saw him coming, so he couldn't ask for directions. Although, getting lost did allow him to learn how to use his newly acquired, Beacon provided scroll, and learn to find his way around campus. The best part; he found a training arena, that apparently, had highly advanced simulation technology.

Monday, he spent hidden in the back of the combat arena that he would be teaching in. He had to know what he had to work with. It was not pretty. Most of the students, were grossly untrained, and in a few cases, undertrained. They were all going to hate him. The class was set up to be a one v one, tournament style match. Most of the students would watch and take notes, that would never do. He had a lot of work to do. He did notice that there were a few faunus students in the combat classes. One girl, he noticed she had a black bow, interested him in particular. She looked to be the only person to have noticed him, as instead of taking notes, she was staring at him. Her bow would twitch, very lightly, every so often, she must have been a faunus.

The nights were even worse than the day. The first night, he found his room to be locked. Great. He absolutely refused to sleep, and he doubted anyone would be very happy or trusting of him if he set up a bonfire in his room. That left sit and read. Nope, he didn't have any books. So just sit and think. On Tuesday he would begin his job as a combat professor under watch, and he had to make a strong impression. His armor would not be needed. He did so love his undead armor, but the charred hunter armor from Yharnam was of a more formal look. Thus he would wear that. And Gascoigne's hat. He had grown quite fond of the weathered fabric after losing his helmet.

Thus it was set. He would begin a tough and strict training with the students in the morning. And he would not allow any of them to question his madness. Methods. The could question his madness all they wanted. He just would not answer them. If they asked, all they would know is his madness is why He doesn't sleep. After all, what is seen cannot be unseen, even in a dream. And he was still connected to that infernal dream.

* * *

It was Tuesday morning, and Beacon was slowly heading toward classes. Team RWBY, on the other hand were not. They had literally woken up and now had very little time to make it to their first class. They tended to be late to their morning classes more often than not. The girls did have combat class with Professor Goodwitch today, so there was that to possibly look forward to.

Of the team, Blake was the most distracted. She couldn't stop thinking about the strange armored man she saw during combat class yesterday. He was hidden, hence why she was the only one who saw him, but he was there. He looked to be studying their moves, strategies, and weapons. Who he was, was unknown. She did however recognize him. He was the knight that came from under the ruins during initiation and had summoned forth a strangely named, massive, and dark colored snake that proceeded to devour large grimm whole. His identity was a mystery. Weiss had called him a degenerate and had chosen to forget about him. Yang wanted to know what his true strength was, but had not seen him. Ruby she really wanted to see his weapons up close.

The day went by rather fast for half the team, and not fast enough for the other half. They were on their way to the training arena for combat class. Unfortunately they were running, and late. Not good. Professor Goodwitch was not very tolerable of late students. They arrived at the combat arena and burst through the door, and saw someone who was not Professor Goodwitch. It was the knight, except he wore a burnt and tattered trench coat and leggings, leather boots, a tattered old hat, and single dark glove on his right hand. His left hand was uncovered and he wore a hard scowl on his face that said 'don't mess with me'.

"Glad you could join us, ladies." He said. "Please take a seat."

The girls did. They chose the seats next to JNPR.

"Now, I do believe everyone is here. I am Professor Isaac Crimston. Your names are unimportant. Don't bother introducing yourselves. I will learn them on my own and in due time. From now on, I am taking over the combat instruction from Goodwitch on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And I expect you to be on time." He glared at team RWBY. "Yesterday I was in here, at the same time as you-"

Various voices started calling out things like "No you weren't", and "Really? The Professor raised a strange looking gun in his right hand. Pointing straight up, he fired. The sound was deafening. But it worked, everyone went silent.

"Clearly, I should start with some rules. First, you will only speak when spoken to. Second, you will not be late. Third, if I give you an order or instruction, you will follow it. Fourth, I am to be referred to as Sir, or Professor Crimston. ARE WE UNDERsTOOD!?" He looked around the room and heads were nodding furiously. "Good. Now as I was saying, -studying you. You were all learning combat, and it was pathetic. You have come to rely too much on your aura to protect you. You use your semblance in battle more than you should. You all make unnecessary movements. You dance with your opponent. And You all have very bad reaction timing." Pyrrha raised her hand. "Yes, Miss Nikos?"

"Isn't that combat though, sir? An elegant and graceful series of moves between two partners?" she asked.

"No. That is dancing. That is tournament fighting. I will be teaching how to fight. Not elegantly, nor gracefully. I will teach how to take down an enemy, efficiently, effectively and permanently. I will be teaching how to take down your opponents without aura, without your semblances, and without taking a hit. Your over reliance on aura has trained you all into thinking that you can rush blindly into battle and expect to come out just fine. NEWS FLASH! THAT! WON't! WORK! I will teach you to fight like me! I have no aura, or semblance! You will learn to dodge attacks, not just tank them! Any questions?" Isaac Finished his rant.

Ruby and Jaune raised their hands. Isaac nodded at Jaune.

"How will you teach us to fight with no aura?" He asked.

"Simple, I will teach you with my weapons." the Professor replied.

"Your weapons wouldn't do anything unless our aura was already gone." Cardin spoke up.

As soon as the words left his mouth, another deafening bang was heard, a dull smack, a thud, and Cardin started screaming in pain. Looking at him, team RWBY, noticed that there was now a charred hole in Cardin's right ear, and a smoking hole in the back of his seat.

"Team CRDL, please take Mr. Winchester to the infirmary. Let this be a lesson to you. This is what happens when you disobey my rules. Now, Ms. Rose, your question before time is up?" Professor Crimston.

"Sir, do you really not have an aura? And how did you get past Cardin's aura?" Ruby asked.

"Technically two questions. My weapons are enhanced with various metals and elements giving them the ability to cut through any defense with little effort. Aura is one such defense. As it turns out, my nature allows me to nullify certain abilities of the soul. As for the first question. Does anyone have a knife?" Professor Crimston said.

A knife was thrown to him. He caught it in his right hand and pulled back the sleeve on his left arm. He then stabbed the knife into his arm with no effort. Students around the room were shocked. Blake was even more so when he took the blade out of his arm to wipe it off. The wound was not healing, but it was also not dripping. Blake also saw that the knife had no blood on it. She was broken from her thoughts when Professor Crimston tossed the knife back the student it came from.

"Class is dismissed. Come bearing your weapons and combat attire on Thursday."

Most of the student ran out of the room. Even her team left her. Blake slowly left. She turned back to see him chug a portion of a strange golden drink, then a dark red drink. She could smell the iron in the second drink. After seeing this, she too ran back to her dorm. Only one thought was on her mind, Professor Isaac Crimston was not human.

* * *

"Sir, Reaper has reported in."

"And?"

"Two things. He may have found a way for us to hide, and the status of the four."

"Really? Continue."

"The people we prepared, they are active in fighting the dark. Reaper proposed that we hide among them. More against the dark would be welcome. As for the four. The Forgotten Lord has settled nicely into his role. The Reaper's Child is learning, completely unaware. The deceived knight has...well...been deceived. I guess. The Thundering King has been found. He was in contact with Icosa, somehow."

"Interesting. Anything else General Bronze?"

"One more thing, sir. The Reaver has been sharpened and is ready."

"Excellent. Now we must wait. Go, Gather the others. He will be freed soon. Time is growing unsteady."

"What will you do, sir."

"I must go to

 **[Input Command - Xerox.../...Command Accepted]**

 **[Input Command - Action_Expunge_Data.../...Command Accepted]**

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 **[Input Command - End Action_Expunge_Data.../...Command Accepted]**

"Good luck lad."

* * *

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

 **Data Log DF012 - Input command - express_gratitude - Thank you to all who read this, your feedback is much appreciated as is your views. Input command-tip_hat...Command accepted. Input command-Close**

 **Goodbye viewer, Fare thee well**

 **End Log S.T.K.**

 **He is the Dark. The Dark is one. He is the Dark. The Dark has won.**


	6. CH5: The Reaper

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 5: The Reaper

It had been three weeks since Isaac Crimston had started teaching. It had been three weeks since many students had entered the class of the most brutal, harsh, and unforgiving teachers beacon had ever seen. The first Thursday began with the Professor randomly challenging students to duel. He didn't get hit. On each subsequent day he was in charge, Crimston would have the students constantly working while he berated them on poor form, technique, or useless movements. No one was safe. He didn't allow inactivity or deviation. Needless to say, the infirmary on campus saw quite a large increase in visitations on Tuesdays and Thursdays. No one could figure out how he was able to nullify aura healing or damage blocking effects with his gun. Fortunately, most of the wounds were not permanent. They did serve to keep his classes in line.

Unfortunately, it lead to most of the students hating his classes, even Weiss. A large majority of students would leave his class frustrated, mostly at the harsh teaching conditions. A minority felt they were actually improving, and an even smaller minority liked the classes. There were only two things that almost everyone agreed on. First, Professor Crimston was patient with what he did. Despite being being incredibly pitiless, he was helping the students improve. He did not give up on anyone for any reason. He was also considered to be emotionless. When anyone would see him, there was always a permanent scowl on his face.

It had been one week since Ruby had seen a different side of the harsh Professor. She was on her way back to her room after classes on a Thursday, and realized she forgot her note from Oobleck's class. She passed the training arena that Professor Crimston used, and the lights were on, despite no classes being in session at the time. Inside she saw professor Crimston, head in his hands, and a goblet of some red liquid in front of him. He wasn't scowling. He was sitting there, his facial expression an odd combination of content, melancholy, and possibly drunkenness. It seemed he had not seen her, so she left without a word.

It now Saturday, three weeks after Crimston's first day. Ruby wanted to show Yang what she had seen one week ago. It was only now that Yang relented. They were on their way to Crimston's arena. As they drew near, they could hear voices. A shouting match appeared to be going on. It sounded like Professors Goodwitch and Crimston.

"I don't care! If I lighten up or go easy on them, then they will never be ready! I am teaching them how to fight to survive Goodwitch!"

"You can do that, no one said you had to be so harsh about it though!"

"And why shouldn't I? I was never given an "easy" training."

"They are still young, they don't deserve the kind of treatment you give them. That and Ozpin and I have gotten many complaints from the students and infirmary staff."

"Let the complain, why should I care?!"

"Because-"

"Rhetorical question, Goodwitch. I was trained harshly. Nothing is a better teacher than the merciless whip of experience! I am determined to-"

"Just because you had a bad training experience doesn't mean-"

"YES IT DOES! They are grossly underprepared to fight! They...You...Noone, has ever gone through training the way I did! I am teaching them how to survive by any means possible. That is what I aren't ready, Goodwitch. And if we aren't harsh, aren't merciless, then they never will be. It's now or never. I think, that if it was a matter of life or death, most people would choose to train now. Please, don't tell me how to train warriors. If you want me to be less harsh, then, I suggest you find a way for them to become better than all of the staff here instantaneously, otherwise, I will push them to their limits. When they don't think they can take any more, then I will push them harder."

There was a sound of breaking glass and a splash of liquid.

"We don't allow the staff to have alcoholic drinks, Mr. Crimston." Then Professor Goodwitch left.

"I don't think there is any alcohol in this drink."

Ruby and Yang were confused, but Yang saw something other than the professor she was to seeing, so she and Ruby left. Presumably to tell their team.

* * *

"That was my last bottle too." It had been a rough morning for Scythe. He didn't have class, so he decided to go and train. On the way out of his room, he grabbed his last pungent blood cocktail, and went to the training arena. He was addicted to the drink. He arrived at the arena and found Goodwitch there, scowling at him. She would have to a lot larger and more grotesque if she was trying to intimidate him. One shouting match later, and he was out of his pungent blood cocktail. That wasn't what concerned him.

During his shouting match, he had sensed two souls eavesdropping on the conversation. He recognized the soul signatures of Ruby and Yang. They were half sisters, so he expected their souls to have a slightly different signature, but Ruby's soul was far, far different from Yang's. It was concerning, because a soul could only be that different if there was major history in her ancestry that Yang didn't share. Something was off with Ruby's soul. Alone, this would not concern him. However, her soul gave him the desire to absorb the souls of everyone in the school and offer them to her. It was an off-putting feeling, that he couldn't explain.

There was someone he knew could explain. And Scythe did not want to meet him. He did however need more blood. The best thing he learned in Yharnam was how to make the intoxicating drink, but he still needed the healing blood. There was only one place for him to get that. That would wait until later. For now he had to train. He pulled out Bloodstain and turned on one of the custom simulations he had made. It would be a long night. The simulation loaded, and Scythe looked up to face his opponent.

* * *

Ruby was still bored. Her sister was not much help. Blake was reading. Weiss was studying, and Yang had fallen asleep. With nothing better to do, Ruby went to Crimston's training arena. Maybe she could learn a little more about the enigmatic professor, and maybe get some help with his classes. She wasn't doing as well as she would have liked.

She entered the arena, and saw the strangest monster she had ever seen. It was not a grimm whatever it was. The monster had a silver looking fur, with a massive right arm. It was at least 20 feet tall and there was blood coating its antlered head. She looked up and saw Professor Crimston high in the air cleaving at the monsters face with a scythe she had never seen him use before. He had a look of sadistic glee. She heard another roar.

Looking left she saw another monster. This one slightly tall than the professor, but it was more grotesque. It had a thin black body with two red flaps hanging off its face. The second monster was also emitting a dark purple liquid.

"So, Slap happy is still! Good, this was too easy!" Professor Crimston said as he grabbed the one of the horns on the first beast and pulled out his pistol

He aimed and fired at the second monster as it stood on its hind legs. The bullet hit the beast, ignited it, and the monster stopped moving. The bullet had somehow stunned the monster. Professor Crimston pulled out his scythe and positioned it below the neck of the monster he was on. In one swift motion he jumped up, decapitating the first monster, and spraying the room in simulated blood. Once he had leapt off the now headless monster, Professor Crimston raised his scythe and fell down onto the second monster. His blade plunging deep into the beasts head. The simulation ended with both monsters falling over dead, and not a scratch on the Professor.

Ruby was in awe. There should have been no way that he was uninjured, yet he was. Of course she had many, many questions.

"I didn't know you were a scythe wielder!" She exclaimed.

"Reaper, Miss Rose." he responded.

"What?" That was not the response she was expecting.

"The correct terminology for a scythe wielder is reaper. Although Bloodstain is no ordinary scythe." He said.

He took hold of the the blade and disconnect it from the shaft. He sheathed blade and put the shaft on his back.

"How did you make that?" Ruby asked.

"I didn't, it belonged to an old...friend." the professor said. "Now may I ask why you are here?"

"Oh. I came to train." Ruby replied unsheathing her precious scythe. The professor looked at her weapon.

"You have a very lovely scythe. Would you mind if I took it for a spin?" He asked.

"Yes…" she replied warily. The role reversal was not something she was used to. She very slowly and reluctantly handed over the blade. "She's a bit heavy, and I can show you how to transform her."

"No need." The professor grabbed the blade.

In an instant, the professor had reset the simulation, but this time it was a different monster. This monster was a large purple garbed being with six hands and massive scimitars in each hand. It swung fast and often, using each blade simultaneously. He transformed her weapon into its scythe form. With the skill and precision Ruby had previously seen, he swung her blade around in a circular formation and blocked each strike from the monsters blades.

Soon he switched to one handing Ruby's scythe. He still had not taken a hit. Amidst the clashing blades, he pulled out his pistol and fired off a round into the monster, it staggered a bit but wasn't stunned like slap happy was. As he was swinging the blade faster and faster, Ruby noticed that it looked like it was on fire. He fired his pistol, this time a smoking hole was seen on the monster. It staggered back, and he planted the blade. It actually was somehow on fire! He adjusted his stance, then rushed forward, dragging the blade behind him. In a blink and you miss it moment, he pulled the blade forward hard and fast into an upward slice, cutting the purple monster in half.

The simulation ended and Ruby saw the professor standing there, her blade resting over his right shoulder. The normally silver metal was red hot. Ruby was, once again, awed. He had handled her weapon as if he had been using it all his life. And her brain decided not to work as she started stuttering out the right words.

"What? How? What?" She stammered.

"Simple, for as long as I can remember, I have been able to instantaneously learned how the ins, outs, and arts of any weapon simply by holding it. The fire is an old favorite of mine. Unfortunately, it is a lost art." Crimston responded.

"What is a lost art? Also could you help me train?" Ruby asked with a pleading smile.

"The art of pyromancy, and yes. Your weapon should be cool now. Lets see your speed. Meet the Abhorrent beast. Lets see your speed." Crimston started the simulation.

The dark blue electric beast rushed forward. Ruby's first instinct was to jump over it. She was shocked by the electricity on its back. The beast turned around and attempted to slam her into the ground. She rolled out of the way and swung upward. The blade took of the beasts right hand, and sent a massive jolt of electricity through her scythe. The monster roared in pain and Ruby gripped her blade tighter. She jumped and raised the scythe over her head, and plunged it into the Abhorrent Beast's head. The beast fell dead, and the simulation ended.

"Interesting. I never thought to cut off its hands. But we have much work to do." Crimston looked at her, a small smile gracing his face. "Alright, enough rest. AGAIN!"

He reset the simulation. For the rest of the day Ruby trained with Professor Isaac Crimston. At the end of the day. As she was leaving, he called to her.

"Miss Rose, if you wish, I could continue to train you in the ways of a reaper."

She smiled and nodded, then ran off.

"Good. You will need it. I won't be able to teach as well as he can, but I will push you harder than the rest. Be warned." Crimston shut down the simulator and went to his room. He had to dream, and he was dreading it.

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

 **Data Log DF013 - Input command - express_gratitude - Thank you to all who read this, your feedback is much appreciated as is your views. Input command-tip_hat...Command accepted. Input command-Close**

 **Goodbye viewer, Fare thee well**

 **End Log S.T.K.**

 **He is the Dark. The Dark is one. He is the Dark. The Dark has won.**


	7. CH6: A Time Frame of Three Weeks

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 6: A Time Frame of Three Weeks

The Hunter's Dream. Scythe Hollow hated this one location that he was tied to. He wasn't afraid of it. He just didn't like it. Mostly because of the current Great One that ran the dream and Scythe himself was supposed to be the host. This was a problem for Scythe. When he killed the moon presence, the dream and the plague were supposed to end. However, there was one great one who had a different plan in mind. This did not sit well with Scythe. Of course, the Great One didn't like Scythe very much either. After ending his run through the dream, Scythe fled to the waking world and burned Yharnam to the ground.

Fortunately for Scythe, when he "awoke" in the dream, the Great One wasn't there. Only the doll. One of the few beings that Scythe truly considered to be a friend...after teaching her emotions of course. She was the only one who would accept him as a hollow.

"Good Hunter, you have returned." the doll said.

"Indeed I have doll. And I have told you before, I am a Hollow, not a hunter." Scythe responded with a kind smile. A rarity these days.

"So, it has returned, has it? Why has it returned to my dream?" said a deep scratchy voice. The one voice that Scythe didn't want to hear.

"I have run out of blood." Scythe said, refusing to look at the being.

"Really? You don't have any blood, nor the plague. Or is it for the cocktail?" the voice said.

"Yes, it is for the pungent blood cocktail." Scythe admitted.

"Could you at least turn around, speaking to your back is rather annoying." The voice said.

Scythe turned around. Standing in the garden where he fought Gehrman was a massive Great One. The upper half of it looked like a humanoid skeleton with its blackened blood dripping off the ribcage. All the bones were stained red and black except the skull. The lower half of the being that supported the monster were four strange tentacle like limbs. At the end of each limb was a serrated red bone spike, upon which the beast stood. Coming off the back of the clavicles were another eight tentacled limbs, four on each side of the head. These held a blue-ish color to them. The two tentacles closest to the arms were wrapped around the all the way up to the hands, giving an appearance similar to muscles on the bones. The other six tentacles hung down its back, like a living cape. Each of them moved with what seemed to be a mind of its own.

The head was what Scythe refused to look at. It was a mostly normal human skull. The was a hole on the top of the head. On his head was a crown that appeared to be made of amygdala arms. The hands holding the joints, with points made where the arm would connect to the body. Instead of eyes, this being had a black flame that burned inside of the skull, and out the hole on top of its head. If one were to stare into its eyes, they would go insane. Very slowly and very painfully.

"That's better." the being said. "Now, surely it realizes that I don't just give away blood for free, right?"

"I am no it, monster. I am Scythe Hollow, the Lord of Hollows." Scythe responded with venom in his voice. "And this dream was supposed to end long ago!"

"AND I AM NO MONSTER" the beings voice boomed. "My name has no equivalent in this tongue, but I am referred to as Lord Hannible Crane. AND YOU BURNED DOWN MY CITY!"

"I DIDN'T HAVE A CHOICE! I had to stop the plague somehow. Even then, I had to survive another plague started by your kind after Yharnam burned." Scythe responded.

"First off, the plague of beasts was meant to find eligible candidates to join us. Yharnam was simply more of a proving ground. I became the ruler of the great ones through the plague of Yharnam, and the massive power that I exert over the other Great Ones. And secondly, I had nothing to do with that second plague." The Great One said.

"Well, I didn't want to be a great one, I didn't even want to be connected to the dream!" Scythe yelled to the great one. "Do you know what it's like to be forced to live beyond death? To always have that hope of dying, to even be able to taste the sweet sting of death, then have it pulled away! I have lived with that for over eight thousand years! First I was branded with darksign. Ok I can deal with that. Then I literally absorbed the first flame, that was problematic! When that happened, I wouldn't just come back at the next bonfire, but where I had fallen! Simple to retrieve souls, but if the person who killed me was still there, they would easily take advantage of that! It did give me the ability to make my own artificial bonfires with pyromancy though. AND TO TOP IT OFF, YOUR BLOODY PLAGUE CONNECTED ME TO THIS BLOODY DREAM, AND NOW I CAN'T EVEN GET A TASTE OF DEATH! I AM AN IMMORTAL WHO WISHES FOR NOTHING MORE THAN TO DIE! I would even be fine if death could only come to me through old age, BUT I AM DENIED EVEN THAT!"

"None of that is my fault. Surely you realize that. It was decided, in a unanimous decision, that you were important to the timeline, and thus you had to be unable to stay dead. Energy cursed you with the Dark Sign, Time gifted you the First Flame, and I bound you to the dream. Death had to be okay with an unkillable mortal." Hannible said once Scythe's rant was over.

"Who?" was all Scythe could ask.

"Energy, Time, Space and Death. The Keepers of Reality. You are quite possibly the most important individual to your timeline and you had to be unable to stay dead." The great one said. "I am the Keeper of Space, and the one that bound you to this dream."

"I don't suppose that means that you can unbind me, does it?" Scythe asked in desperation.

"I can...but now is not the time for that, Scythe Hollow. Now you must return and watch for us to arrive. You will know when we arrive, after all, what one had seen in the dream cannot be unseen, right?"

"Right."

"One more thing, the girl. What do you plan to do when you are done with her? You do realize that you can only teach her to be proficient as a reaper, not a master as one right? That honor belongs solely to Death himself. Will you have him teach her as he did you so many years ago?"

"If she proves worthy, maybe. I wish I didn't start, but it was her choice to pursue the way of the reaper."

"So you have yet to tell her the creed, as it was put forth by Death?"

"She doesn't know it, and she won't until Death tells her. That is part of the way. Only Death can tell of the creed. Goodbye."

And with that, Scythe Hollow grabbed some blood vials, went to a tombstone, and exited the dream. Lord Crane, watched as he left. He turned and was about to leave before speaking to the doll.

"If he comes back, inform me. He and I will have to be allies in the coming days ahead."

Then he left.

* * *

The next couple weeks at beacon went about as well as could be expected for Scythe Hollow. That is to say, no one died and the school was relatively undestroyed. Key word being relatively.

It all started with two lessons that would not be liked by certain other unnamed combat teachers.

The first was when he decided to teach them how to combat tNepres. He started with an explanation of what would be required of the students, how to spell and pronounce tNepres, and why he was named that. Most people thought that spelling serpent backwards for a name was just dumb. Other simply thought that the t should be dropped and not just be silent. Otherwise, they understood. Before the lesson had even begun, Scythe made sure that he had some of the more experienced huntsman at the school in his room in case anything went wrong, namely Port, Ozpin, and Goodwitch.

Inevitably, something did go wrong. Almost immediately. tNepres did not take too kindly with the attempts to subdue him and went on a bit of a rampage through the school. He destroyed seven classrooms, two training arenas, an entire hall of dorms, one girls bathroom, two boys bathrooms, one set of arches in the courtyard, and he ate someone's leg...needless to say, Scythe would not be summoning tNepres on school grounds anytime soon...ever.

The second was when he started to teach them how to fight dirty. He was constantly pounding into their heads the idea that fighting with honor is a simple way to die. In a duel it was different, but in the real world it was fight without honor and live or die fighting with honor. The problem came when he instructed them to fight like he was teaching in all of their combat classes. It had its pros and cons.

Con-the students were forgoing the rules in tournament style fights to ensure that they won.  
Pro-they would win.  
Con-students that had high standings and grades were dropping in overall grades because they refused to fight dirty in Scythe's class. 'Cough cough' Weiss. 'Cough cough' Pyrrha.  
Pro-students who were considered to be lesser due to combat ability were improving. Eg, Jaune Arc.  
Con-Scythe was rapidly becoming the least liked person, by both students and staff, ever. Of all time.  
Pro-the infirmary was seeing less and less students due to learning to dodge and parry.  
Con-visceral attacks. The less said the better.  
Pro-Beacon's infirmary staff had become the best doctors in Vale, possibly all of Remnant.

All in all, the pros outweigh the cons. The only person who was unaffected by any of what was happening in Scythe's class was Ruby. She had been pulled from all her basic combat training classes at Scythe's request. She still attended, wanting to be with her team, but she was no longer graded in those courses. Anyone who challenged her to spar quickly lost. Except Pyrrha. Spars between her and Ruby would usually end in a tie or with Pyrrha barely winning.

With Scythe as her teacher, Ruby had advanced far beyond her old abilities, mostly due to the rigorous, merciless and grueling training. She was warned of this every time she went to train with Scythe, and every time she pushed on. She was however starting to fall behind in the more paperwork based courses, like Oobleck's class. Simply put, she was too tired from her Reaper training, which had gone from once a week to once a night. She learned how to truly maneuver around and control any battle with her precious blade. An unfortunate downside to the training was another thing Scythe was teaching her.

He was attempting to teach her to be fearless. His approach, have her battle some of the more terrifying beasts that Scythe had gone up against in his past. For the most part, Ruby did okay, until she started to face the more eldritch beings. The Moon Presence, and Rom weren't that bad. The One Reborn was more disgusting than terrifying. It was the Amygdala and Ebrietas that started the nightmares. There otherworldly look and the actual fights with had scared Ruby, but she dealt with it. No, it was the Lord of the Great Ones that had truly terrified Ruby, his visage even scared Scythe a little. He had been attempting to program a simulation with Lord Hannible Crane in order to practice fighting him. However, with no knowledge of his abilities, Scythe never got past designing his physical body, and that was it.

That had been last night, and Ruby had not gotten any sleep. So tonight, she was accompanied by her team. Ruby was half asleep and looked ready to pass out, Weiss just glared at him, and Blake was bored. Yang however looked angry, furious even. It seemed that Ruby had only recently told them what she had been fighting in her training sessions with Scythe. Needless to say, they weren't very happy with him at the moment.

"Hello girls, may I help you?" Scythe asked, trying to be cordial.

"YES, YOU CAN STOP SUBJECTING MY LITTLE SISTER TO NIGHTS OF TORMENT!" Yang yelled at Scythe quite angrily.

"Okay, okay. You don't need to yell as I am right in front of you and I must deny your request." Scythe responded calmly.

"WHAT?!" the reply was loud, instant and angry.

"Professor Crimston, why must you deny this request?" Blake asked, calmer than her team.

"Simple, Ruby is being trained in the way of the Reaper. A way of combat that cannot, under any circumstances be taken lightly."

Thud. Ruby had fallen down, asleep.

"Although, I think I can make an exception tonight."

"Why can't it be taken lightly?" Blake continued the interrogation.

"I am training her to be a killer. The way of the Reaper is a combat style that is all about dealing death, as fast, efficiently and effectively as possible. I have to be hard on her, or she will never improve. And I am not even qualified to finish her training. In one weeks time, she will have her final test with me. She and I will duel, if she passes the test, then she will get a new and more qualified person to teach her. Should that come to pass, you three will be joining us in these nightly sessions." Scythe answered.

"What? Why? If you were no longer her teacher, then she wouldn't have to keep coming to these right?" Weiss asked.

"Maybe, surely you've noticed. She has not been as effective at leading as she is at combat. No, the way of the Reaper is a more solitary fighting style. You will be joining us so that she may learn how to lead, using this new style of fighting. Now if you will excuse me, I have a cocktail brewing, and it is calling my name." Scythe said as he began to walk away.

"Alcohol is not allowed on campus!" Weiss called out after him.

"It is not alcohol based, rather it is blood based." Scythe called back as he exited the room.

That response was probably not his best. Soon after wild rumors started spreading. Professor Isaac Crimston was now a vampire in the eyes of the students. Of course, he had just gone to drink a freshly made pungent blood cocktail. Still, rumors abounded.

The week before Ruby's final test with Scythe was quite hectic. The school was preparing to receive the arrivals for the Vytal festival, Scythe and Glynda had a rather loud disagreement over the ethics of drinking blood (Scythe won't be giving it up any time soon), and the school entered a state of relatively undestroyed.

It was during a spar that Scythe was in with Weiss. She was using ice dust pretty liberally. Thus Scythe revealed to the school a rather large portion of his power. He summoned forth his pyromancy and completely destroyed the training arena. He was willing to repay all the damages, but he did give Ozpin a completely incomplete showing of his pyromantic abilities. It was while doing this, Scythe discovered that his cursed pyromancy can actually drain the aura of people caught in it.

 _ **And before anyone knew it, Scythe had been killed, Ozpin and Ruby disappeared, the world was plunged into darkness, I WAS SET FREE! And I lived happily ever after! The End.**_

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

 **Data Log DF014 - Disclaimer-"The worst [blank] ever. Of all time." Joke belongs to Rooster Teeth's Red vs Blue. Specifically Agent Washington. Input command - express_gratitude - Thank you to all who read this, your feedback is much appreciated as is your views. Input command-tip_hat...Command accepted. Input command-Close**

 **Goodbye viewer, Fare thee well**

 **End Log S.T.K.**

 **He is the Dark. The Dark is one. He is the Dark. The Dark has won.**


	8. CH7: The Test of the Reaper

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 7: The Test of the Reaper

Ruby was nervous. The professor had told her that tonight would be her final test in learning the way of the reaper. According to him though, she still had much to learn. He said she was merely adept, and he was not allowed the honor to train her to mastery. That honor belong to the person who would take over after Professor Crimston. Whoever he was. The professor did say that her team was allowed to observe.

It was nerve wracking. Ruby was the only person in her team to actually trust Professor Crimston. Of course she knew he was hiding some things, she wasn't that naive. She was mostly nervous.

The hour came and Ruby grabbed her weapon. It was going to be a long night. A long hard night indeed. Walking to the arena, she was surprised to find a note. It said to meet in the main courtyard, by the statue.

A few minutes of walking later, Ruby was found her professor. He was staring at the statue, his weapon in scythe form and held over his shoulder. She walked closer, then he spoke.

"Kinda sad. It is your final test from me." Professor Crimston said. "Despite that, I wish you the best of luck, and have no doubt that you shall pass tonight, Miss Rose."

He turned to look at her, a proud smile on his face. The smile turned into a cocky smirk that he usually had when he fought.

"Draw your blade, Miss Rose. Here are the rules. You will fight with your blade only, no semblance, no ranged, only scythes. The test will end when a killing blow is made. Don't worry, we will both survive. Now HAVE AT THEE!" He yelled as he launched into a flurry of strikes that Ruby was hard pressed to dodge or block.

A single blow glanced aff her arm, but she handled the situation well. The Professor had just planted his blade. Ruby remembered this move, although, she hadn't been taught how to counter it. Her first thought was to brace herself, then she remembered one the earliest lessons in his class. 'Fight smarter, not harder.' The professor rushed forward, dragging his blade to catch Ruby in a vicious upward slash. Right at the last second, Ruby moved to the left while swinging her blade at the professor as he passed. The blow was blocked, but the sudden stop in forward momentum sent him into a forward role.

Not giving him any time to recover, Ruby change her blade into its gun form and started firing at the professor. He was unprepared for bullets, but he dodged them nonetheless.

"I said scythes only." He called, his left hand glowing orange.

"You also taught us in your class to fight dirty and find loopholes. Technically this is still my scythe and we aren't fighting in a tournament." She responded, still firing.

"So I did. Then I shan't hold back!"

He summoned forth the deadly fire that he had used on Weiss earlier that week. With it burning at his hand, he threw a large fireball at her. Ruby used her semblance to dodge the massive explosion. A small crater was left in the ground. Before Ruby could recover, the professor had grabbed her by her shoulder and threw her into the statue.

She got up and moved in toward Crimston fast. Looking at his hand, she noticed the fire had turned a dull purple in color. She remembered something similar during the initiations. With a throwing motion, Ruby barely had any time to dodge the massive spear of crystallized fire that he had just thrown. It smashed into the statue as she jumped over it. He threw another spear at her while she was in the air. Using her semblance, Ruby dodge it as well. She slammed into the professor. As they fell to the ground he vaulted off of her. The spear continued to fly up until it hit the top of beacon tower. The normally green beacon was covered in a purple crystal fire. The light became a dull purple in color.

The stared at each other for a brief second before going at it again. Neither noticing a black streak fly from the statue and darken the beacon. That didn't matter, they had a duel to finish, and neither duelist was going to back down.

* * *

It was a quiet night. A loud explosion changed that in an instant. Ozpin was in his office that night, when said explosion was heard. Looking out one of the windows, he saw two figures on the ground. One of them he could tell was Professor Isaac Crimston, as there was no one else that ozpin knew who could throw fireballs that freely. The other figure was not so easily recognized, then he saw them dash to ground to avoid a massive purple spear. Again, Ozpin knew that only one person could do that, Ruby.

Ruby was fighting Crimston. Normally, that would not worry Ozpin, until the spear hit the beacon on top of the tower. It was followed closely by some strange black energy. The combination of those blocked out the light. Something, so very bad was going to happen. Ozpin went to the elevator, he had to stop Ruby and Isaac.

* * *

Scythe had to hand it to Ruby. She had progressed quite far in her training. She was actually giving him a run for his money. But Scythe had yet to lose a duel, and he wasn't going to lose this one.

Ruby had briefly recovered from being vaulted off of. She got into a stance to rush at him. He knew this move. He had used himself many a time. Very easy to dodge. She was probably counting on that. He let her rush forward. A mild look of surprise took her face when he made no signs of moving out of the way.

Ruby got within three feet of Scythe when an inhuman roar, accompanied by a forceful blast of fire, erupted from Scythe's mouth. The pyromantically enhanced beast roar threw Ruby off her feet. She landed face down on the ground clearly stunned. Her scythe landed about five feet away.

Scythe walked up. Ready to claim victory. Put her in a position to either accept defeat or die.

"Such a shame." He said walking up to her, Bloodstain held at the ready. "I had such high hopes for you."

He leveled the blade on her neck.

"Now conc-" Scythe never finished what he was saying. Some strange green force had slammed into him and sent him flying into the statue. Looking up, Scythe saw it was Ozpin. He had thrown him back at the statue.

 _ **He has ruined the test! He has caused her to fail. Kill him.**_

'No. He just thinks he's protecting Ruby.'

 _ **No, he is trying to stop you. You have been under his constant lock and key. Kill him, be free.**_

'NO, he is trying to protect her from me.'

 ** _LISTEN TO ME! He is trying to stop the child from becoming a warrior! KILL HIM!_**

 ** _"K_ i _ll Pr_** of ** _es_** _sor_ ** _Ozpin!"_** He roared, before vaulting up and over the statue putting it between them. He pulled out bloodstain, and cut the statue in half. Through the rage, he barely noticed the dull purple tint the world had taken. Using the chaos bed vestiges, he sent the top half of the statue flying at Ruby and Ozpin.

Ozpin was able to get Ruby and himself out of the way, but the statue smashed into and subsequently destroyed Crescent Rose. Sitting on what was left of the once noble statue, was a glowing white rock, Scythe paid no mind as he advanced on Ozpin.

Ozpin barely had time to raise his cane in response to the flurry of strikes from Scythe's weapon. Each strike was expertly blocked. After seven blocks Ozpin parried the blade, and stunned Scythe for a brief moment. Ozpin took advantage of the stunned professor and slammed his cane into him. He slid along the ground and was separated from Bloodstain.

As Scythe slowly stood back up, his body bruised and battered from the beating, a loud roar was heard. Looking up Scythe saw the King of the Storm, and the Nameless King riding upon the ancient dragons back. The rage was gone and Scythe groaned internally as he realized he now had to fight two extremely difficult opponents.

The Nameless King however wasn't focused on Scythe. He dropped off of his dragon and grabbed the glowing rock. With barely a glance at Scythe, the king climbed back on his dragon and they flew off. Scythe watched him go, before turning back to Ozpin.

Before he could say anything, he was impaled, by Bloodstain. The blade separated from its shaft, currently through his heart, in Ozpin's hand. Ozpin looked shocked. Clearly he must have been expecting aura, or some sort of shield to stop the blade. He let go of the blade and backed off. The look shock replaced by his usual stoic manner.

Scythe fell to his knees. His body couldn't handle anymore punishment. He fell forward onto the ground, the blade painfully twisting in his heart. The familiar sensation of death began to overwhelm his senses before it disappeared. The feeling was yanked from him as he looked up to see a black hooded figure approaching from behind Ruby and Ozpin. The world faded to blue.

* * *

 _ **You have done well. There is a lake in the north of the emerald forest. It is increased Grimm activity, drop me in then meet me beyond the village that lies to the east of this lake.**_

The Nameless King simply nodded. The weird glowing thing that Icosa was trapped in was rather strange. It had sides like a normal object, except the sides were always changing. No two sides ever showed the same. The mission to retrieve it had been flawless, but oh how the Nameless King wished he could have ended the hollow then and there. But he did have a deal and no way to keep the hollow dead.

 _ **It is a die of infinite sides. The perfect impossibility to house the harbinger of space and time, right?**_

Again, the Nameless King only nodded. They were soon flying over a lake. There were a lot of Grimm there. The Nameless King threw the strange shifting infinite sided die into the waters below, then flew off.

The die sank. It settled on the bottom of the lake. The side that was shown was simply a black face. It shattered apart a few seconds later. From inside the die came a purple...glowing orb. It flew out of the water and floated above the surface, slowly moving toward the gathered pack of beowolves.

 _ **And so, the creations return to the creator. You will do nicely.**_

The orb flew toward the beowolf in the front of the pack. The orb was absorbed into the Grimm's head. For a second nothing happened. Then the Grimm started howling in pain. Its eyes turned from red to a sinister dark purple, and it ran off. To the eastern shore of the lake.

 _ **Don't worry, the pain is necessary. Mindless beings always after power, so easy to control. Listen to me, I am Icosa Hedron. And WE are the Dark. WE. ARE. ONE.**_

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

 **Data Log DF014 - Information-the infinite sided die is from Gravity Falls which belongs to Disney. Input command - express_gratitude - Thank you to all who read this, your feedback is much appreciated as is your views. Input command-tip_hat...Command accepted. Input command-Close**

 **Goodbye viewer, Fare thee well**

 **End Log S.T.K.**

 **He is the Dark. The Dark is one. He is the Dark. The Dark has won.**


	9. CH8: Death and Darkness

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 8: Death and Darkness

"So, how did it go?"

Scythe opened his eyes and looked up. He was in the dream...again. Crap. The Lord of the Great Ones was staring at him. Chin on one of his hand.

"How did what go?" Scythe asked.

"The test of the child? Surely it is over, the last time you showed up here after dying was exactly like that. Completely uncalled for and unexpected." The Great One responded, finding the situation rather humorous. "That does beg the question, how? How did you die? In all your time in Yharnam, you never died."

"It was rather well. I will admit to being a bit surprised during that fight. Fighting Ruby was much like fighting...well me."

"Didn't you train her? Isn't that natural of a trainer and trainee to fight similarly?"

"Normally yes, but...there is only one other person I have sparred or fought with that was like that. My son. And that was nearly six thousand years ago."

"Could it have something to do with her heritage? After all she does have a unique mark of death on her."

"Possibly, but I don't think a mark of death automatically gives someone combat prowess equivalent to my own. I shall investigate it further though."

"Fair enough, but you have yet to answer my question. How did you die?"

Scythe thought for a minute. How had he been overwhelmed. The duel had been going well. Then…

"I don't know. One minute I was fighting Ruby, testing her in the Way of the Reaper, then Ozpin showed up. I was thrown into the statue. Then it gets...hazy."

"Hazy? No respectable warrior gets 'hazy' in battle. Surely you remember something."

"Why am I talking to you about this? I don't even like you and wish I didn't know you."

"Answers you don't have that I could provide are often why Great Ones are contacted."

"Fine." Scythe snapped. "It...was...rage. Pure, unfiltered rage, and a voice. Neither belonging to me. The world turned purple, then I saw the Nameless King flying away."

Lord Hannible Crane stared at Scythe intently. This was a worrying development.

"Return. The results of her test should have been determined. I have business to attend." The Great One said.

The sudden change in tone and finality of it shocked Scythe a little. Nonetheless, he went to one of the tombstones to reawaken where his body fell. The Great One headed off. Time would need to hear about this. He had returned.

* * *

Ruby stared at Ozpin in shock. Not only had Ozpin run her teacher through with his own blade, but he and the blade disappeared in a blue mist. Where his body had once lay was a floating green wisp and pile of glowing blood. It was all quite startling. Ozpin appeared to be in as much shock as her. Probably at the fact that her mentor was dead as well. A strange humming sound broke Ruby out of her trance like state.

She looked past Ozpin and saw Professor Isaac Crimston. Alive and slowly coming into existence where his body once was...and he was completely unharmed. It was as if he hadn't been killed at all. Bending over, he absorbed the green wisp and glowing blood. Professor Ozpin took on his usual stoic look.

"I have some explaining to do, don't I?" Professor Crimston asked.

Ozpin simply nodded.

"Very well, I will admit, headmaster, you have gained enough of my trust to know this. Two things first. Her whole team deserves to know. And second." he turned to the black dressed figure. "I assume you were the judge, so how did she do?"

Ozpin raised an eyebrow. Crimston was clearly not asking him, and he couldn't see anyone else.

"Can I get you name?"

Again no one there and no response. Ruby was starting to wonder if her professor had gone insane.

"Will you tell them after I explain?"

Ruby looked to Ozpin to see if he had any idea what was going on. Ozpin just gave her a look that said no.

"Very well. Ozpin, you have proven your trustworthiness.. Honorable combat, in my philosophy, is the true measure of trust and honor. We shall continue this in your office. There are less prying eyes there." the Professor said. With that, he headed back to the building. Ruby looked at the professor as he slowly followed Ozpin. With nothing else to do, she turned to follow them.

"Ruby, go and get your team. They shall know this too." Professor Crimston said without even a glance.

Using her semblance, she rushed back to her dorm. Her team was sleeping but that didn't matter. She had a whistle. And soon she would have a probably very angry team.

* * *

Ozpin's office had not changed since Scythe had been in there so long ago. It still ticked, it still had a single desk, and it still smelled of coffee. The only new addition to the office currently was the figure clothed in black, in the corner, that Ozpin could not see. It was a little shocking to know that Ruby could see him. Scythe could see him as well, but now was not the time for discussing him. The elevator dinged and team RWBY entered the office.

The team did not look fully awake. Except Ruby, she still needed to hear how the results of her test had gone. The others slowly woke themselves up. He was mostly receiving looks of anger and possibly frustration from the older members of the team.

"Now that everyone is here, would you mind telling me why you have decided to tell us about you now, Professor Crimston?" Ozpin asked politely.

"To answer that, you must understand my philosophy. I believe that you can only truly determine something about a person when you face them in honorable combat. Honorable fighters tend to be the more trustworthy people. And before I continue, I need to know, with absolute certainty that what I tell you all, does not leave this office." Scythe said.

The gathered group nodded their heads in agreement. The figure in the corner simply smiled.

With that, Scythe told them a story. He told them the tale of an unkillable tyrant. A man who lived and ruled the whole world. He never lost a duel, never felt defeat in battle, assassination attempts failed, and he could survive with weapons sticking out of his heart. He told them of how his kingdom fell. Listening to the story, Ozpin noticed that the kingdom of this supposed tyrant was similar to the story that the professor had told about why he didn't trust Ozpin. He concluded the tale with the fall of the kingdom.

"Most legends and stories are based in a small grain of truth. This story is mostly true." Scythe said. "The only problem is that the tale is very biased. I know the other side. You see the so called tyrant was not really a bad guy. The tale is told from the point of view of the humans."

"So he was a faunus?" Blake asked.

"Nope. Far older, he was an undead, a hollow." Scythe responded.

"He was a zombie? Zombies can't exist, also what is a hollow?" Weiss asked.

"First, he was an undead. Zombies and undead are very different. Zombies can die again, but they stay dead. An undead is marked by the inability to stay dead. A hollow is an undead whose body has deteriorated to be more of a living corpse than human. They used to be marked by insanity but that changed. The quote unquote "unkillable tyrant" was me. And I was the highest among all the hollows." Scythe answered.

"How can we know any of what your saying is true? After all, we only have your word to go off of." Ozpin spoke up.

"Really, me dying and coming back to life wasn't enough." Scythe muttered under his breath.

He looked down at the untrue dark ring on his left hand. After a moment's hesitation he removed the ring. The gasps and looks of shock revealed that they now knew what he was. His body had the sunken decomposing look of a corpse, even going so far as to have graying skin. It was also revealed that he had no eyes, and his bones could be seen.

"Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Scythe Hollow, the Honorable Lord of Hollows." He said performing the dignified bow he learned from Yuria. "And I would greatly appreciate it if you refrain from referring to me as Scythe while in classes."

"Not as dramatic or tear jerking/heartwarming as I would have thought." The figure in the corner spoke. His voice had a calm sense of finality. Underlying his main voice, there was the sound of two other voices. Same tone, lower volume, and a slight delay. The voice had two echos to it, spoken from the same mouth.

The sudden sound of the figure caused team RWBY to jump. Approaching, they saw that he wore black pants, a black shirt, and a black hooded jacket. Team RWBY and Ozpin were startled to see that he was a skeleton. The bones that made up his skull moved like skin when he spoke, mimicking facial expressions in the process. In his hand was a scythe that could only be described as terrifying. The shaft was made of a twisted gnarled black wood, with a human skull on the bottom and where the blade connected to the shaft. The blade itself was black in color with images of death across the flats of the blade. The weapon gave off an aura of power.

"Greetings, I am Reaper Grim, the Keeper of Death." He said. Everyone backed up, except Scythe who bowed his head in a show of honor. "Calm down. I am not here to kill anyone. Just because I am a physical manifestation of death doesn't actually mean I want to kill. And even then it is rare."

"So, the keepers have come to beacon. Why are you here, death?" Ozpin said, hints of fear underlying his tone.

"I said calm down. I am here because of her." he pointed at Ruby. "Almost since arriving, Scythe Hollow has been teaching her how to be a Reaper's Child. Tonight, her final test with him. I came to see if she was ready to be a Reaper's Warrior. Despite the untimely end to what was a fantastic test, she passed. I will give her one week to decide if she wishes to become a Reaper's Warrior."

"What is a Reaper's Warrior?" Yang asked.

"That is for her to know." Reaper responded.

"Why can't we know?" Weiss asked.

"Out of everyone here, only two people have marks of death. Only they know." Reaper replied.

"Marks of death?" Ruby questioned.

"Your eyes Miss Rose. I will explain in one week, if you choose to come. Until then, I will see myself out."

With that, death had left the building, leaving behind a very confused audience

* * *

Reports of increased Grimm activity by the lake in the northern areas of the emerald forest had been flowing into nearby villages almost daily. Almost as often, teams of huntsman and huntresses would be sent out to eliminate the problem. It was supposed to be a normal seek and destroy type mission. A large pack of Beowolves had gathered, and yet, things almost never go as planned.

Such was the case on this day in particular. One hunter team was sent to the eastern shore. It was here that they saw a rather strange acting Beowolf. It was twitching and writhing in pain. It was an odd site to begin with. Until they looked closer. This Beowolf in particular had purple eyes, and its flesh seemed to be melting. This alone would be seen as strange. Then it yelled.

 _ **CONFOUND IT ALL! WHY DO YOU NOT HAVE ANY BONES YOU USELESS PILE OF CRAP!?**_

The shoulder of the beast burst and a strange hand like appendage shot out before collapsing and melting on the ground. The leader of the team of huntsman aimed his gun at the beast and fired off a shot. It impacted with a strange splash, but otherwise the beast was unfazed.

 _ **Bullets? AH, humans. Humans have endoskeletons. This shall be perfect.**_

The deformed beowolf turned on them and started rushing for them. It got about half way before the huntsmen team opened fire. The deformed Beowolf did not slow down at all. Its limbs did start melting off. First went the front right leg, then the back left. The front left fell off and the monster impacted with one of the members. The darkness of the monster appeared to drown him. For a second nothing happened. Then the puddle of darkness began to move.

It started to take the shape of a man. When it was fully formed, it revealed a monster. Their teammate had been stripped down to the bone and the bones were repurposed into this monster. It stood at a height of six and a half feet. The black liquid had formed into a something akin to a long coat, pants, a shirt, and shoes. All black with a dull purple in the weave. The bones of what had once been a beowolf were now serving as some sort of pseudo body armor, the mask being a shoulder pad. The skull of their teammate was bare but now burned with an evil purple fire in the eye sockets.

 _ **Nothing quite like human bones to make an endoskeleton. Greetings moron, I am Icosa Hedron and you are going to die.**_

Icosa threw both his arms forward and the black liquid shot forth and lashed around the necks of two of the huntsmen. He pulled the liquid back and proceeded forced the liquid into their bodies. It proceeded to turn their skin grayer and grayer until it simply turned black and melted off. The two skeletons fell to the ground where the black liquid covered them.

The fourth member of the team saw this and ran. He ran back to the village, and using his scroll he sent out a distress call. Hopefully someone would find it. He was almost to the village, but looking back he saw Icosa was not far behind.

 _ **Your village is nothing special, but it will soon be a glorious bloodbath darkanium and bones. All of you uneducated, my darkanium is the black liquid that I control. The mindless creatures of Grimm are rapidly advancing on this settlement and they will be a part of my whirlwind of destruction.**_

Icosa willed the darkanium to start surrounding the village. As it gathered, it started to spin around the village. Through the whirlwind, the huntsman looked at Icosa, the darkanium, as he called it, was literally flowing off of him. He was creating it at will and the Grimm that were gathered were simply fuel for the fire.

As the darkanium spun higher into the sky, Icosa walked toward the eastern end of the village. There he saw the Nameless King and the King of the Storm waiting. It appeared the the King did not approve of his methods.

 _ **That will be remedied. Nameless, I am glad to see you made it. You have done well, I thank you for freeing me. It is glorious isn't it. My creation, my darkness.**_

The King grunted in disapproval.

 _ **I understand, but sacrifices must be made. Sacrifices will be made. You will be made.**_

The Nameless King looked inquisitively at Icosa. Icosa looked back and smiled sinisterly. He will the darkanium to take hold of the king and his dragon. It wrapped around them and pulled them into storm.

 _ **You wanted power to defeat the hollow? Well then, don't worry. This power shall be yours. You shall join me as the loyal general of my army. You shall be the first Hedronian. I tell you Nameless, you will have your revenge. But first we must leave a message. The whole world will know that I have returned. People will tremble, heroes will fall, villains will bow. And the Grimm will come to me. After all, we are the Dark. We are one.**_

 _ **I AM THE DARK. I HAVE WON.**_

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

 **Data Log DF015 Information- It is nice to know that there are people who are reading this and at least somewhat enjoying it. Any criticism to make these archives better will be much appreciated.**

 **Input command - express_gratitude - Thank you to all who read this, your feedback is much appreciated as is your views. Input command-tip_hat...Command accepted. Input command-Close**

 **Goodbye viewer, Fare thee well.**

 **End Log S.T.K.**


	10. CH9: Interest is Piqued

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 9: Interest is Piqued

The docks of vale were lovely this time of year. At least, that is what Scythe thought. Docks and other ocean related areas have always been where he goes to think. The salty sea breeze usually brought a unique calm to his mind, a calm he rarely felt since that night. Unfortunately, it would also bring an unusual clarity to his memories. Not good in most cases.

Currently, he was just staring out to sea, with a pungent blood cocktail. In the distance he could see some large ships floating toward Vale. Despite being in Vale for quite a few months, Scythe still marveled at how different everything was. The whole concept of aura fascinated him to no end. People just wearing their souls like a jacket, just waiting for them to be taken. NOPE. There's that old insanity again. How he didn't go full mindless hollow was still a mystery to Scythe. Perhaps, some things will never be known.

"Lovely day, isn't it?"

Scythe looked at the newcomer. Surprisingly, it was Reaper. The only difference between now and the night before being that his head was not hooded. Looking at his face closer, Scythe noticed that his skull was full of cracks and moved like skin. Strange, but not the strangest.

"Indeed it is." Scythe answered. "Reaper, why are you here? Don't you have souls to harvest?"

"Well, some people I know are arriving in Vale today. And no, I don't harvest souls. Why are you here?"

"Wishing for death, experiencing some peace, watching the waves. I don't know take your pick."

"I choose option d. You are waiting."

"Waiting? For what would I be waiting for?"

"I don't know, a new kingdom? Look, I may be one of the Keepers, but that does not mean I know everything. And sorry to say, I can't kill you. You are and are not under my jurisdiction."

"What do you mean?" Scythe took a drink of the cocktail.

"Well, you are not. I am not the one who gave you the dark sign. That was Energon. Most people wouldn't think that the Keeper of Energy would give life. However, you are also a Reaper's Warrior. The only one to go undefeated until last night, I might add."

"Blind rage will do that to you. You know, I never wanted to be a Reaper's Warrior."

"Yep, you are the only unwilling warrior...and the reason that I no longer make my warriors forfeit their right to die."

Scythe glared at Reaper, who shrugged apologetically.

"I didn't ask to be immortal."

"You also didn't ask to be a teacher. I think you enjoy your life, despite claiming otherwise. I do have one question, why her?"

Scythe looked out to sea and started stroking his chin, like a beard. He was deep in thought.

"I could ask you the same thing." Scythe answered.

"Genetics." Reaper responded.

"Okay then. A little more complicated for me. I would say her weapon, but…"

"That is not all is it?"

"No, I trained her for a few months, and she fights like a Hollow. Not the undead, my family name mind you. That is not possible though. I never trained anyone. I would have trained my son, but my kingdom fell."

"That is still not all. You have grown to care for your students, have you not?"

"Uhh...yes. I have grown to care for them. This world is not kind, and they are learning how to combat against it. Reminds me of my times in Lothric. The main difference being that they are almost always cooperating with each other."

"Didn't you cooperate with people in Yharnam?"

"I don't want to talk ABOUT THAT ACCURSED CITY!"

"Hey professor! What city?"

The sudden and familiar voice of Ruby startled Scythe. He dropped his blood cocktail. He looked at the spilled drink in disappointment for a moment.

"Darn, I was drinking that." Scythe looked up and saw that Reaper had left. Looking to his left, he saw team RWBY. A brief awkward silence ensued.

"Hi" Scythe greeted. "What are you girls doing here?"

"Weiss wanted to scope out the competition for the Vytal festival." Yang answered. "What are you doing here?"

"I am getting a breath of sea air. And to answer your earlier question, why would I talk about a city that I don't want to talk about?" Scythe responded. "Also, you owe me a new pungent blood cocktail."

The look of disgust on Weiss' face was priceless. Scythe picked up the, now empty, bottle and turned back to the sea. The boats had pulled in and the gangplank had just been lowered. A commotion drew Scythes attention away from the plank. A monkey faunus was currently sitting on a lamppost with a banana. The police were trying to apprehend him. He threw the peel onto one of the cops and started running. He ran past the group. Scythe saw the whole situation as rather humorous.

After he was gone Weiss and Blake started arguing. Scythe was about to step in when the strangest group of individuals disembarked from the ship. The four were most definitely a team. Their appearance also made the girls shut up and stare.

The first person off the ship walked with very clear limp in his right leg. His right arm appeared to shine in the sunlight. He wore a simple pair of blue jeans, a white shirt, and what appeared to be two jackets, one white and one black. On his shoulder was something small, black, white, and had a hint of bronze on it.

The second person in the line was bronze. Literally, his skin and clothes were completely bronze. He walked, or more accurately, marched down the gangplank. His entire demeanor screamed military.

Behind him was one of the 'holier than thou' kind of people. He came down with a huge smile on his face, waving to an invisible crowd, and looked like he didn't know how to walk on two legs. He wore a royal purple cape and a suit of silver armor. This guy fancied himself a king. He looked familiar to Scythe.

The final person was by far the strangest. He wore red and black armor that glowed orange on various plates. Other plates of the armor were crackling with electricity. He must have been at least seven feet tall. He had four arms. Two came out of his shoulders, and two others came out of his back. The back arms ended in two hands with four claws on them. The back right hand had glowing orange claws, the back left had white and gold. His front arms ended in normal hands, except he had a black glove on his left hand and a red glove on his right hand. His head was the strangest. It was green. His entire head was green. Over his head was a strange clear mask with silver markings, some of which appeared to go over his eyes.

Scythe and team RWBY just stared at the four strange individuals. The four armed one broke them out their trance like states when he suddenly appeared in front of them. He was eyeing Blake and Scythe rather closely.

"Something is different about you two." he said in a strange accent.

He was literally inches from Blakes face. Blake, clearly weirded out, was leaning back. Yang cleared her throat to get the strange person's attention, and it worked. In an instant he was solely focused on Yang, and her hair.

"Fascinating. Some much energy. I can feel it radiating off of you, lass." He said.

"Elzirian! Leave the people alone." the kingly person said. His voice sounded familiar to Scythe.

The limping person slowly walked up to them. His serious limp gave Ruby cause for concern.

"I am sorry about my teammate there. He has been in a self imposed isolation for a long time. His only company being whatever he can make." the man said.

"Are you alright?" Ruby asked and pointed at his leg.

"I'm fine. It is an old injury, left one leg shorter than the other." he replied.

"So, who are you? Are you here for the Vytal Festival?" Yang asked.

"The Vytal festival, yes. We are team GOLD. I am the leader of our team, Lukas Septum." The limping man said with a small bow.

"Wait, L is not the first letter of gold." Weiss said.

"WOW, she can spell. Of course it's not." The kingly person said. "You already met the first letter of our team. Elzirian Greeneye, our four armed friend and the appointed leader. As a team, however, we decided to choose a leader democratically. By almost unanimous vote, Lukas Septum, is our leader. And I, Revant Octium, am his second in command."

He finished his mini speech with a bow. It was rather over accentuated, complete with excessive hand movements.

"I am Dorian Gintus." the bronze man said. "And we would very much like it if you could point the way toward Beacon Academy, we would very much appreciate it."

"Way to suck all the fun out exploring, you raging alcoholic." Elzirian grumbled.

"Actually, Gin, we need to find Cyclone first." Lukas said.

"Who's Cyclone?" Ruby asked.

"Cyclone is his pet scorpion." Revant replied. "Well then, let us be off. COME SQUIRE!"

He pointed toward his left and started walking.

"Lad, lasses." Elzirian waved goodbye. The four strange individuals of team GOLD were off. Team RWBY left as well, and Scythe heard Weiss and Blake start arguing over the monkey faunus again.

"That was rather interesting. I feel like I know one of them." Scythe said to himself. He simply turned around and stared back out to sea. His mind getting lost in his memories.

* * *

It was too easy. There was revolution beginning. That stupid mutt from the white fang had given him more information than he needed. The hedronized Nameless King and his dragon had found the "secret" base in a matter of hours. The King was now standing immediately behind him. Icosa had found a desk and set it up so he was shrouded in dark, his eyes burning purple. He was patient, and it wasn't long before his patience was rewarded. A woman in a red dress walked in. Two more individuals were immediately behind her. From the information he had gathered, this was Cinder Fall, the leader, and her two lackeys, Emerald and Mercury. This would be too easy. He willed some darkanium over his skull.

 _ **You know, for a supposed secret operation, you would think there was more competent security and a more secret location.**_

His voice startled the three, all of whom got into a combat stance. The king ended that by showing and electrifying his massive sword-spear.

 _ **Please, there is no need for hostilities. I am not here for a fight. Besides, if I was, it wouldn't be fair. Me versus you three. You don't have enough people.**_

"Who are you?" Emerald questioned.

 _ **Let's just say I am an interested party.**_

"Interested in what?"

 _ **Please, Cinder, speak for yourself. Your lap dogs clearly don't know how to handle themselves.**_

Emerald and Mercury prepared to attack.

 _ **Seize them.**_

With a wave of his hand, four men dressed like the white fang, but with black skin and purple eyes, grabbed hold of Emerald and Mercury.

 _ **Now, you may speak.**_

"Who are you?" Cinder asked.

 _ **I am Icosa Hedron, the Dark. Your operation here is sorely lacking in power. You may have some of the animals and humans on your side. But what about me?**_

"What could you possibly offer?" Cinder questioned.

Icosa willed the darkanium around his head to recede, thus revealing his skull. The purple fire in his eyes filled the room.

 _ **I can offer you power. A chance at control that you could not possibly achieve without me. I only ask for two things. I wish to have the location of who you work for and that you leave one of the professors at Beacon for my friend there.**_

He pointed at the Nameless King. Cinder appeared to ponder his request.

"And if we refuse?" she asked.

In a move that couldn't be tracked with the naked eye, Icosa was lifting Cinder from the ground by her neck. The darkanium on his hand starting to swirl around her head.

 _ **Then I take the information by force. But seeing as I would like some allies, and you probably don't want to meet death, I say we work together. What do you say?**_

Icosa's other hand burst into purple fire, ready to seal the deal. Cinder thought for a moment, then grabbed his hand. The pain from the strange purple fire was excruciating, but she didn't cry out in pain. Icosa seemed to enter a state of ecstasy, reveling in her pain. She could feel his presence in her mind. Then in an instant, it was gone. The pain, the presence and the hand on her neck disappeared.

 _ **It has been a pleasure doing business with you Miss Fall. I have the information I need, and I will be seeing you again soon.**_

"Cinder, what did you do?" Emerald asked.

"We just made a deal with the devil." Mercury answered for her.

"No, that thing, whatever it is, is far worse than the devil. He said it himself. He is the Dark. and it might be wise to fear that being." Cinder spoke.

Whatever he was, Icosa Hedron was not someone to be messed with. After all. He is the Dark. He is one. He is the Dark. He has won.

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

 **Data Log DF015 Information-Please leave constructive criticism. It helps the archives, and is much appreciated.**

 **Input command - express_gratitude - Thank you to all who read this, your feedback is much appreciated as is your views. Input command-tip_hat...Command accepted. Input command-Close**

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 **End Log S.T.K.**


	11. A Conversation Concerning Assets

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

A Conversation Concerning Assets

"We have a problem."

"That line is quite cliche, you know. But what is this problem, and no names or genders."

"Why?"

"Eavesdropping."

"Very well. The asset is starting to research genetics."

"I don't understand. Explain."

"The asset, is starting to research their family line."

"They can't be allowed to discover the truth. If that happens, I.H. will gain an advantage over our asset that could lose us this coming war."

"You're scared?"

"..."

"No matter. How would I.H. gain an advantage if the asset were to know?"

"Leverage. Use the knowledge against them. It is not hard to figure out. This is your fault you know."

"How is this my fault?"

"You were the one in charge of performing this genetic alteration. And you had to choose that family!"

"In my defense, I chose more than just the one family! How was I to know that they would all be wiped out when the world was covered in darkness. And your pet project doesn't seem to have gone any better!"

"There were….complications."

"We both know that is just a fancy way of saying that you screwed up."

"Admittedly, yes. I did screw up. HOWEVER, the situation is being handled. Maybe not in the way I would like, but it is being handled."

"THE ONE THAT WAS ATTACKED IS IN CRITICAL CONDITION!"

"No need to yell, and I know. I never said it was being handled well."

"At least tell me you have arrived at the school."

"Yes, we have arrived."

"What will we do about the asset?"

"Let them be for now. If they get close to discovering what they are searching for, then we must hinder the progress."

"You seem to be more on guard today."

"I.H. has been freed and has not done anything that we know of. That has me on guard."

"I believe I told you what I found?"

"The village? Yes. I know. That is inconsequential next to what he is used to doing. No, that village is something we will have to visit. It was done to send a message. Makes you wonder how he left it."

"Paper and ink?"

"We both know he doesn't work that way."

"The only way you would be able to get there without raising alarms would be for it to become an available mission."

"I realize that. Maybe we can do a joint operation with one of the teams."

"Why? Which one?"

"The asset's interest would be the one. As for why, well, I feel that the message he left is for more than just me."

"You think he is planning to reveal himself to the school?"

"No, I think he wants everyone to know who he is. Strike fear into the hearts of men."

"Why would he want to do that?"

"Scared humans do stupid things, and the Grimm are attracted to feelings of fear like that, remember?"

"Right."

"And he is the indirect creator of those monsters. Anything else to report?"

"I found a shapeshifter."

"Really?"

"Yep, it was an old crow."

"How do you know it was a shapeshifter?"

"I would recognize the difference between a crow and a shapeshifter anywhere."

"Right, I forget you have some strange affinity towards crows and ravens. Anything else?"

"Well I can turn into a raven, as for other reports there is one more thing. I must ask if the asset's special interest should receive the full powers of the position?"

"No. There shall be no more immortality. The asset is bad enough."

"That is not what I was referring to."

"In that case, yes. The interest will need protection… and help from you army would be useful against I.H."

"Very well, should the interest accept, they will receive the full authority the position offers."

"Is this all?"

"Yes."

"Then fare thee well, my friend."

"Indeed, fare thee well."

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

 **Data Log DF016 Information-data recovery slow at this time. No major events to happen till recovery speeds up.**

 **Input command - express_gratitude - Thank you to all who read this, your feedback is much appreciated as is your views. Input command-tip_hat...Command accepted. Input command-Close**

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 **End Log S.T.K.**


	12. CH10: Darkness at the Docks

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 10: Darkness at the Docks

Scythe's classroom was a mess. There were papers strewn about the floor, and papers piled on the desk. Scattered throughout the room were several floating warmth pyromancy spells. The spells were providing light and keeping Scythe calm. On his desk there was a bottle of pungent blood cocktail, half the drink gone.

Scythe himself was haggard. He had spent the better part of his time, since his meeting with Reaper, tracing the family trees of everyone he knew to be a Reaper's Warrior. He may have been in hiding, but the Warrior's knew of his existence. Were covered in family trees. They all ended at the time he was forced into cryosleep. From what he had learned, all the lines were wiped out, except one. Whatever family line Ruby belonged to.

Reaper had been kind enough to fill him in on the family lines that Scythe didn't have recorded. There were only three lines that Ruby could belong to. The line of the First Hunter Gehrman, the line of the Great Swamp Pyromancer Cornyx, or the Line of the Honorable Lord of Hollows Scythe. But who? It was very possible that she could belong to one of the lesser known families of Reaper's, but these seemed to be the most likely.

Family trees were not the only things he was studying. In his spare time, Scythe had taken to reading about the history Remnant. The information he had learned was...underwhelming. Most of the information and history of the time before the world was covered in darkness had been lost to that darkness. What was recorded was quite limited compared to what was known beforehand. One thing that is almost never mentioned in any of the books that Scythe had read were the origins of Dust and Aura. The closest thing he had found was a book of fairy tales and legends.

One of said fairy tales told of four maidens, named after the seasons and given magical powers based on what season they were, all for showing wonderful things to an old man. It could be that these maidens were the origin of Dust and Aura, but that was unlikely. No, the old man, later described as a wizard was most likely. His description didn't match any descriptions of wizards that Scythe knew of.

The door to the room opened. Turning around, Scythe was pleasantly surprised to see Ruby walk in. She looked worried, but under the light of the warmth pyromancies, she was calming down.

"Ah, Miss Rose. How are you this evening?" Scythe asked her.

"Hi Professor. I'm good. I was wondering if you had seen Blake? She ran off last night and we haven't seen her since." Ruby explained.

"Blake? Sorry but no. You are the only person I have seen today. It is possible she was here earlier, but I wouldn't know. You see, I am a bit busy trying to unravel this mystery." Scythe went to his desk and took a drink of the blood cocktail. "I was asleep for a long time, and you being chosen as a Reaper's Warrior has me wondering. From who are you descended? I have narrowed it down to three possibilities, but each of them are perfectly reasonable."

"Why are you tracing my family tree?" Ruby asked.

"You have been chosen to be a Reaper's Warrior, a child marked with death, to be trained by death. Your eyes are silver in color, a genetic mark of death that can only be passed down through family lineages. So the question is, which one? Could it be…" Scythe trailed off getting lost in his thoughts.

Realizing that she wasn't going to get anymore out of him, Ruby left the room. Walking out into the hall, someone ran into Ruby, knocking her onto the ground.

"Ah, sorry lass. Let me give you a hand." A four clawed hand reached out to help Ruby. It was the strange four armed green headed guy from the docks yesterday.

"Thanks, I'm sorry I don't remember your name." Ruby responded when she was standing.

"Tis okay. I am Elzirian Greeneye. If it helps you to remember easier, my friend Revant calls me Rian." he said. "Could you point me in the direction of a good hiding place?"

"Uh...sure. Professor Crimston is in his room, you could probably hide in there. Why?"

"Lukas is on a warpath. He...uhh...well...received some rather concerning information, and found out that a friend of his messed up big time. Now he is on a warpath, and I figured I would hide until the storm calms."

"Why would information make him angry?"

"I think it would be okay to tell you." He mumbled "Okay, so he has issues expressing emotion...I guess? I don't know. Look, he is what you would consider highly unstable. Every time he sleeps he dreams of his family dying. When he sees something happen that could have been avoided, or cause catastrophe, he kind of explodes. Now if you'll excuse me lass, I will be hiding in the professor's room. Maybe say hi to him as well. See ya."

With that, he dashed off into the classroom of Scythe Hollow. Ruby went back to her dorm. Her search coming up fruitless.

* * *

A fruitless search often leads to frustration. Scythe could attest to this. There had been many times in his life when his searches had been for naught. It had been one day since he met Ruby and hid the four armed student whose name Scythe couldn't remember. Now he needed some peace.

Silence was not something Scythe liked, but he could appreciate it. Normally, when he was alone in a room, he would cast a pyromancy, or start a fire. When the hollow's natural degradation of sanity would wear at his mind, the crackling of fire would bring him back. The crackling of fire, mixed with sound of crashing waves and the breeze of the sea, perfect recipe for a calm Lord of Hollows.

And so, Scythe Hollow, found himself, yet again, at the docks of vale. A warmth pyromancy overhead, him resting against a wall. Sadly, it was not to last. The roaring of a bullhead coming in to land, broke him out of his reverie. This was followed by confusion. Why would someone be landing at the docks at this time. Well, whoever it was, they were not his problem.

He heard voices coming from the docks. Then the sound of crates being moved. Nothing else. He went back to his thoughts. There had to be a way to figure out the mystery. There was also the conversation he had with Elzirian. He seemed to know much more than he let on. There was something off with the whole of team GOLD. Revant seemed to familiar, Elzirian knew more than he said, Dorian had to have a military background, and Lukas was...there. The elected leader of the team was the biggest mystery of them all. Whenever Scythe saw him, he seemed...absent. As if he wasn't really there. It reminded him of his time in Yharnam. No one was really themselves that night.

Shouting from the docks caught his attention. It was a voice he recognized. Deciding to see what the commotion was, Scythe stood up and looked out to where the shouting had come from. He saw several White Fange grunts, a man in a white coat, a bowler hat, and holding a cane, Blake holding that man at swordpoint, and two men shrouded in darkness. Unsurprisingly, she had ears on top of her head. A faunus...meh. Unsurprising. But now it was his problem and yet, he wanted to see how his student could do.

She was doing okay, as the monkey faunus entered the fray. They were holding themselves rather well, then two more bullheads appeared. More of the White Fang entered the field as well as two more of those strange dark shrouded men. They weren't doing anything at the moment.

Scythe realized he had not brung his weapons with him. Only his estus, some bone ash shards, a couple blood vials and the madaras whistle, at least he wouldn't be going in alone. He was about to enter the fight when two girls appeared. One he recognized as Ruby. The other, he didn't know, but she was strange. She had green eyes, orange hair, and a soul that didn't appear to be fully connected. It felt artificial.

When twelve swords came out of her back, Scythe almost considered holding back to see what would happen. Then the men shrouded in darkness made started to move. The false soul girl, as Scythe would refer to her as, made several of the blades fly through the strange men. The blades hit and slid through their bodies. Whatever they were, they weren't human. One of the blades got stuck in the first being.

It pulled the blade out and hurled it at the strange girl with such a force that whatever control she had on the blade was lost. She rolled to get out of the blade in time. Unfortunately another of the monsters was waiting for her. She rolled into it and it grabbed her.

Before anything else could happens, a massive orange spear smashed into the being holding the false soul girl. She looked to see her rescuer. Scythe jumped onto the docks, left hand alit with pyromantic flame, right hand clutching a handful of bone ash shards.

"Oh, come on. How many of you people are there?!" the white bowler hat guy yelled.

"Deal with the white fang!" Scythe told the girl. She nodded and ran off to deal with the bullheads. "I got these."

Scythe lit the bone ash shards on fire. With the burning bone ash, he would be able to control it like his pyromancy. But first…

A loud shrill note sounded. Scythe lowered the madaras whistle as a pool of blood started to form around him. He stepped back as the massive head of tNepres burst from the ground and devoured two of the black beings.

The two black beings nodded at each other. One stepped back while the other lit its own hands ablaze. The flame was a dark purple, and out of the fires grew two swords. As black as they were and alit with the purple flame. The swordsman advanced on Scythe, who had no blade. He did have a fire whip..that could be reinforced with the bone ash. Scythe brought forth the whip of fire.

The swordsman stepped forward and swung at Scythe. Scythe rolled and lashed his whip out. The whip latched onto the right sword and started to burn purple. As the fire reached Scythe's hand, the whip shattered. The silent monsters started shaking, as if they were laughing. The monster swung its remaining sword at Scythe, who rolled behind the monster. As soon as he got back to his feet, Scythe readied for a sacred flame. The swordsman turned around, and Scythe, hand ablaze, grabbed the being where its heart would be. He started pumping fire into, and looked at it without mercy. The monster was pushed to ground before exploding in a flash of purple, orange and black.

Turning around, Scythe saw the false soul girl destroy two of the bullheads. The third bullhead flew off. The false soul girl, Ruby, Blake and the monkey faunus walked over to where he was. The final being of darkness looked at them, then spoke. Its voice was threatening, yet smug.

" _Well done. We had not expected this from this world's warriors. Lord Hedron will be most pleased. Two things before I die. First, Lord Hedron will meet with you again, Forgotten Lord. and second..."_

The darkness around the beings head receded to reveal a human skull. Two small purple pin pricks in its eye sockets. Its hands both lit up in a purple flame. It spread its hands out to the sides, palms up, shoulder level, arms straight, and said one thing.

" _We are the Dark. We are one. He is the Dark. He has won!"_

The fire on its hands burned brighter and spread up its arms.

"We have to go!" Scythe said. "That thing is going take us with it."

Turning around to run, Scythe grabbed the students. They heard it repeat the phrase one last time, then it blew up. Shards of bone from the things skeleton flew everywhere, several landing in Scythe's back. An unfortunate consequence of not having aura.

They reached the shore and took cover behind the wall Scythe was resting against earlier. However the flame of the explosion didn't reach the shore. A wave of heat did, but that's besides the point. Looking over the wall, Scythe saw the docks were...gone. Schnee Dust Company shipping crates were either destroyed, or floating in the water. The actual docks themselves appeared to have decided not to exist. The sirens of cops and firefighters could be heard approaching the area.

"So, he has revealed himself."

"Jack, you know it was just a Hedronian."

"Yes, Reaper, I do know that. And yet, he has revealed himself."

"So, what now?"

"Now, team GOLD requests a mission. The is a village you told me about, one where he visited, yes?"

"Uhh...yyyyes."

"I am sure they would have tried to radio for help. We will simply take a mission to that village."

"May I ask why?"

"Well Reaper, I am sure he left a message there for us. More specifically, me. He likes to do that kind of thing."

"Ah, what do you want me to do?"

"Start the warrior's training. She will need it."

"No eavesdroppers tonight?"

"No, Energon, and Crane are busy sparring I believe."

"Do they not know?"

"Nope. Only we do."

"One last question, why are you so adamant about me training a new warrior? Most of the past were failures."

"Indeed they were, but that does not change the fact that Hedronians fear your warriors. I don't know why, but they do. If that is all, then leave me. I have business to attend. Bronze's illusions needs work."

"Very well, goodbye Jack."

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

 **Data Log DF018 Information-please leave constructive criticism. Updates to the archives take it into account, and it is much appreciated.**

 **Input command - express_gratitude - Thank you to all who read this, your feedback is much appreciated as is your views. Input command-tip_hat...Command accepted. Input command-Close**

 **Goodbye viewer, Fare thee well.**

 **End Log S.T.K.**


	13. CH11: Under Oath

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 11: Under Oath

The figure in the darkness was...disconcerting. He was sitting there, hands steepled in front of his chin. Eyes glowing with purple fire. Lady Salem would have destroyed him then and there, were it not for the fact that he radiated a darkness far beyond anything she had ever known before. His voice was just as unsettling. His mouth did not move, yet his deep sinister voice could be heard throughout the room.

 _ **You know, I don't appreciate people trying to take my place. Normally, I would just outright kill you, but you, lady Salem, you intrigue me. Nameless, shut the door.**_

Behind her, a massive beast of a man moved. He closed the door and stood in front of. The message clear. No one is leaving until he is done.

"Who are you?" She asked him while eyeing the surroundings, looking for a way to end him.

 _ **I go by many names. Do you want a name, a title, an achievement? AH what the heck, I'll give you all three. I am Icosa Hedron, The Dark, and The Harbinger of Space and Time. I control the very darkness that make up your precious Grimm, the very darkness you seem to have shrouded yourself in.**_

He stood up and moved into the light. Looking closer, she saw that his body was armored in the bone masks of various Grimm. The strangest part was probably the black liquid the leaked from in between the masks. He walked closer to her. Inspecting her.

 _ **Fascinating. I have never seen a live being shrouded in darkness like this before, and live for so long. But we can't have that. Oh no, we can't have this, but first a lesson. Tell me, Salem, do you the difference between a Grimm and a Hedronian?**_

"N-"

 _ **Rhetorical question, don't answer. The main difference comes down to numbers. There are many different kinds of Grimm, all specialized in some different way. Whereas, not counting me, there are only four different kinds of Hedronians. The most numerous of us are just called drones. They aren't specialized, and yet one of them, can do so much more than any of your Grimm.**_

He moved to one of the windows. Looking out he saw the pools from which the Grimm would emerge. An idea formed in his head.

 _ **The second most numerous, and most valuable, are the bone wraiths. Not as specialize, but their only purpose is to steal bones. Specifically human bones, the make great skeletal structures for my army. Next are the Dark fiends, giant hedronians that range in size from ten to one hundred and twenty three feet tall. Yes, I measured. Finally, the most specialized group. My generals. Currently, the Nameless King and his dragon makeup all one point five generals under my command.**_

He stopped talking, giving Salem a chance to speak.

"Why are you telling me this, and why are you here? What do you want?"

 _ **Is it not obvious? I am taking over.**_

He turned to her, smiling. His right hand was becoming more and more viscous.

 _ **You will be the second to be hedronized. Don't worry, your insubordinates won't know a thing, nor will they be properly hedronized yet. For that to happen the will either show their worth, or commit failure. I don't care either way. But you, have been thinking to small. Come, join my army.**_

He grabbed her around the neck, the black liquid coating his hand starting flowing around her. It was turning everything into it, except her bones. She could feel her mind being subdued, destroyed. The pain was excruciating. In an instant, all that mattered was her lord standing in front of her.

 _ **And another one join the fold. Tell me, who am I?**_

She wanted to spit in his face, punch him, anything other than what her body said.

"You are Lord Icosa Hedron, leader of the Hedronians and soon to be, The Darkness covering this world."

 _ **Excellent, you shall make a fine General. Nameless! Take her and show her what it means to be a Hedronian. I have business to attend to.**_

The Nameless King bowed, then led the newly Hedronized Salem away. Her mind was reeling. Her body was being forced to serve the demon against her will. And she couldn't do anything against it. The black liquid, that his voice in her mind told was actually called Darkanium, was slowly but surely crushing her free will, her conscious and her identity.

* * *

Everything they knew, all the information they had, useless. The plans of the Queen and her pawns were useless. A new player had entered, and rather than simply offer a new strategy, he had completely changed the rules. This was a major problem. If they didn't know the rules how could they possibly stand a chance. Of course, General Ironwood's untimely arrival with his army didn't help assuage the situation either. And he wanted to meet Professor Scythe Hollow. Of course, Ironwood knew him as Isaac Crimston, but still.

Ozpin didn't actually know how the hollow would react to Ironwood. Only one way to find out, hopefully things didn't go south. There was no doubt that Scythe, if he wanted, could kill them without breaking a sweat, aura or no. The many, many students sent to the infirmary during his classes could attest to that.

The elevator arrived and Scythe walked out. He looked around the room once, before stepping forward.

"Greetings Ozpin. You called?"

"Yes, Professor Crimston, this is General Ironwood." Ozpin replied.

"Ironwood? Interesting name. Greetings General." Scythe reached out to shake the general's hand.

"Greetings." the General replied.

"Now, I am assuming there is a reason I was called up here. If not, I shall take my leave." Scythe said.

Ozpin responded. "Yes, the General wants an assessment of your abilities. He would like to integrate them into his robotic security force. And we would like to know if you know anything about this new enemy."

"No." Scythe responded.

"What do you mean no?" Ironwood asked.

"I mean N-O, no. What part of that is so hard to understand? I will not demonstrated my abilities live. Besides, I doubt a robot would be able to handle the heat of pyromancy. If that is all I was called up for, then I will leave." Scythe answered as he turned to leave. "As for this new player, all I know is that they call him Lord Hedron, and apparently, he is the dark, and he has already won."

"You can't act this way in front of a superior, especially a general." Ironwood spoke.

Scythe stopped. He turned his head and spoke "I would not test my patience general. There was a time when I face demons and gods who could kill people without lifting a finger. I am leaving."

Scythe wasted no time in entering the elevator. He had to focus. Ruby would be taken under Reaper's wing that night, should she accept. He still had to figure out Ruby's lineage, and now, more pressingly, he had to find this Lord Hedron. So much to do, so little time.

* * *

Ruby was nervous. It was a little over a week since her test, she had received a message from him changing the time. That time was changed to tonight. She was on her way to the courtyard, her team following her. Exiting the building, she saw Scythe and Reaper in a rather animated discussion. Getting closer she heard what they were saying but had no idea what to say to it.

"I am just saying, that being named after a weapon is not as strange as insisting that the Grim Reaper is actually named Reaper Grim." Scythe said rather loudly.

"I know that's the point you're, but my point still stands. Keep in mind that you named yourself after a weapon. My name was given to me by humans who didn't know my name. I just change to mess with people, and Reaper is a better first name." Reaper responded. "Nevertheless, we shall continue this later. We have guests."

They turned to Ruby and her team. Ruby had to admit, in the pale moonlight, the Keeper of Death looked a lot more terrifying than before. He looked the stereotypical depictions of death had nothing on Reaper himself.

"Ms. Rose, her team. I must apologize for delaying this meeting, but business with an old friend had me preoccupied. Now, do you know why we are here?" Reaper asked.

"Yes, I am going to train under you now, right?" Ruby asked.

"Sort of. I am here to offer you the chance. You proved you your worth, but I must ask if you are willing to take an oath."

"An oath?" Yang asked. "What kind of oath would she be accepting?"

"The oath of the Reaper's Warriors." Scythe responded.

"Ruby Rose, should you accept it will be your duty upon completion of training to follow these guidelines. It is your duty as Reaper's Warrior to be a dealer of death. This is not a job for the weak of will, faint of heart, nor slow of mind. You will be required to kill those marked for death, and protect the innocent from death. It will be your role to help train more, just as the previous have done for you. Finally, should you accept this role, you will forfeit your right to die, until such a time as you find a successor or are deemed unfit to serve. Should you break the laws of death, your punishment will be merciless and severe. Should you accept, you can not revoke your word, nor withdraw from duty. This training is meant to be a lifetime. I ask you once, do you accept? If you must you may discuss it, but an answer will be given tonight." Reaper said.

Not a second after finishing, was Reaper bombarded with questions. Only a few were actually heard.

"I have to kill?" Ruby asked.

"What are the laws of death?" Blake asked.

"Who can't die?" Yang asked.

It was Scythe that shut them up.

"SHE HAS TO FORFEIT HER RIGHT TO DIE!?" Scythe exclaimed.

"Why is death a right?" Weiss asked.

Reaper went to answer each question he heard. "Yes, Ruby, you will have to kill. Don't worry, this training will make you into a true warrior, one who fears no one and outclasses all. The laws of death are to only be known by those who deal in death. Scythe here is one who can't die. And Weiss, death is a right. Immortality is not something one desires when facing the consequences. Scythe can attest to that. Not dying means you feel the pain of death but can never feel rest, and you have to watch all you know and love wither away. As for forfeiting that right, Scythe, I have changed it, age can still kill her as can decapitation. Hence, the clause being unfit to serve."

That appeared to pacify the hollow. But the strange cheer with which Reaper said it, disturbed the others.

"If she accepts will she no longer be allowed to train here at beacon?" Yang asked.

"No. Of course not." Reaper responded. "This training is a once a week thing. The only limitations are that no one can be with us when she trains, except those I permit, she isn't allowed to kill those marked for death until she is done, and she can't use anything she learns in this realm without complete control. She will spend most of her time here, training to be a huntress. However, she will be a Reaper's Warrior, first and foremost."

Ruby thought it over. She would still be able to see her friends and train at beacon, but she would also be required to kill when the time came. It didn't seem that bad. Either way, she would still be protecting people. Seemed to be fine.

"I...I accept." Ruby said. " I will take the oath of a Reaper's Warrior."

Everyone stared at her. Some clearly not expecting her to agree.

"Very well. Ruby Rose, from this day until I meet you as an equal, you shall be a Reaper's Warrior. Tomorrow night, your training shall begin. We will meet here once again. For now, get some rest, I have business to attend."

And thus, Reaper Grim vanished. Team RWBY, minus Ruby, left for their dorm.

"Did I do the right thing?" Ruby asked Scythe.

"That is not for me to decide. However, I would argue yes." he responded, sitting down with his back to the half a statue.

"Do you know what it is like?" she asked him.

"Training under Reaper, no. Being a Reaper's Warrior, yes. Don't worry about killing, the people he marks for death are few and far between. And normally only the worst of the worst are actually marked. At best you'll be desensitized to killing by the end of your training. At worst,, you'll have to kill a single person a year."

His calm assurances did not calm Ruby. But only time would tell.

* * *

 _ **Something is missing from this. And NO it is not a secret weakness of mine.**_

 _ **We have no weaknesses, we are immortal!**_

 _ **Maybe it's an army? Yes, we need my army. These pools from which the Grimm spawn will do nicely.**_

 _ **They are after all nothing more than darkanium.**_

 _ **No, just liquid darkness. I need to change them to darkanium. Spawn a few collectors, and then everything will be complete.**_

 _ **So we are missing human bones.**_

 _ **Indeed, indeed, in-deed.**_

 _ **I never would have thought a boneless Hedronian would be the most useful aspect of our army.**_

 _ **And yet, they are. NAMELESS, how is the teaching process of our newest Hedronian going? Good? Good. She will be fully ours by nightfall. Now what is the next phase of attack?**_

 _ **Find a failure. I think we set the bowler hat guy up for failure.**_

 _ **Ah, yes, Noman Northtwit, or whatever his name is. He would make a great example of what happens when you fail us. Let's get to work, so little to do, so much time to do it in.**_

 _ **Nameless, keep up the work. I have business to attend to elsewhere.**_

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

 **Data Log DF019 Information-please leave constructive criticism. Updates to the archives take it into account, and it is much appreciated.**

 **Input command - express_gratitude - Thank you to all who read this, your feedback is much appreciated as is your views. Input command-tip_hat...Command accepted. Input command-Close**

 **Goodbye viewer, Fare thee well.**

 **End Log S.T.K.**


	14. CH12: The TimeKeeper

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 12: TimeKeeper

"AGAIN!"

Despite knowing that he was death itself, Ruby was nonetheless surprised to find out that Reaper didn't live on Remnant. His home was located in a space between timelines. A voidspace, and despite being shrouded in darkness, it was rather well lit. His home looked similar to beacon, just more...death. The outside the building was surrounded by high walls, beyond which, nothing. The arches in the walls were topped with torches. Each torch was held up by scythe blades, and glowed with black flame.

Ruby was currently sparring with a skeletal servant that Reaper had summoned . Every time Ruby took down the skeleton, it would reform and Reaper would yell again. Each time she was expected to use a different strategy she knew. Each success would get the call to go again. Each failure would result in the call of again. Reaper himself would simply watch.

After the seventh such call of "again", the servant was dismissed. Reaper led Ruby through halls of his Beacon look alike home. They arrived at the courtyard. Instead of the normal statue, Ruby saw a statue of Reaper.

"Ruby, before you return, I will teach you one thing tonight. As a Reaper's Warrior, I will teach you how to see the marks of death."

"What do you mean, marks of death?"

"If you let me, I will explain. There are three marks. It is important for you to recognize these marks. The first is those marked by death. That would be you and other Reaper's Warriors, unfortunately there are none left. This mark is the only one that can be seen by those who aren't Reaper's Warriors."

"Are they silver eyes?"

"Yes. Another mark is the mark against death. This is the only mark not given by me. It is to mark those who can't die. This is what mars Scythe Hollow. It is called the darksign. A small circle, wreathed in flame. The final mark, is those marked for death. These will be those that you will kill. They are also the easiest to see. They are marked by blood. You can see the blood as it flows from their hands. There is however an exception. There is a man who lives, marked for death, who is actually exempt from death. You will meet him soon, if you haven't already."

"What am I to do if I see any of these marks?"

"Nothing, yet."

"Then-"

"For now, you will learn what it means to be a Reaper's Warrior, I want you to be able to recognize these different marks. Soon you will learn all of the abilities of a Reaper's Warrior. One last thing before you go. As a Warrior, you are protected."

"What do you mean?"

"Another time, Ms. Rose, another time."

* * *

The night was long. The next day was also long. And on a day like this, no good, self respecting person of questionable intent would find themselves in a school building. There was a simple problem though, he couldn't get drunk. He was required to be the leader of his team, and he physically could not get drunk. The camouflage worked well. No one at the school was wiser to his true identity. His robotic limbs were unknown, but his eyes, that was still questionable. Normally, he was Jack Stone, the TimeKeeper. In Remnant's public, he was a student at Beacon, here for the Vytal Festival. Right now, he was just Jack Stone, a man who needs a drink. That is how he found himself with no camouflage tonight.

His mechanical right arm and leg, along with the various wires and cables wrapped around his head were there for all to see. The odd thing though, he had only received questionable looks and questions about his eyes. Both his eyes were bionic and the mechanical iris of each were colored black.

There was a different issue that he faced. His mind was racing. Icosa was somewhere in this timeline, he had already made an attack, and had seemingly disappeared. Of course, Icosa Hedron never truly disappeared. Thus he found himself in a bar belonging to a man, whom he could only assume was named Junior, drinking a limoncello. He was honestly surprised to find out that his favorite italian drink was still around.

He downed his drink and ordered another.

It was entirely possible that Icosa had decided to do nothing. Highly unlikely. He was most likely building up an army and removing anyone against the law from power to take it himself. That was the most likely solution.

His drink was gone again. He ordered another.

He was handed his drink and heard the barman barking orders at the guards in the room. He turned to look behind him as the door burst open. To his mild unsurprise, Yang Xiao Long stood there and ordered a strawberry sunrise. Behind her, a boy with brilliantly blue hair. He turned back to his drink.

Yang and the barman had a few words, then she and the blue haired boy left. He got up and followed them, but not before finishing off his drink. Outside he found Yang and the boy listening to a call for help on her scroll. Then, comically, a large robot ran by.

Finally, some excitement. He was aching to get on the battlefield. His weapon would drink on the blood of his enemies as it had on many occasions. Maybe, he could find out some information on his enemies.

* * *

In hindsight, fighting a well renowned criminal in massive robot was probably not the best plan. Things were going fine until, Roman sent Yang through multiple concrete pillars. Her aura had taken it and her semblance had helped, but it wasn't enough. A surprise clothesline to Yang's head had effectively taken her out of the fight. Sun and Neptune had disappeared, Weiss had been hit by a backhand from the robot and Blake had been hit by that same surprise backhand.

Ruby was tired and the last one standing.

"Well, Red, looks like this is the end." Roman called from the mech.

The machine walked toward her. It was preparing to attack. Then a voice was heard.

"You know, it is not often that I involve myself in the affairs of humans, but she has been granted protection by a good friend of mine. And as such, tonight I will be filling the role of protector."

The man walked out from the shadows. His right arm and leg were mechanical, he had various wires and cables on his face, black eyes, black hair, and a sword in his right hand. Startlingly, his hands were both flowing with a red liquid. It flowed off of his hands and disappeared before it hit the ground. He was marked for death. Why it was blood was beyond her. But he was marked for death.

His weapon was a black sword that glowed red. At its hilt was a strange claw. The tip of the blade curved toward the outside of the blade.

"It would be such a shame if you had to die by this blade. It would tear your soul from your body."

Roman smirked, and decided to continue started an attack against Ruby. Long before the fist of the mech hit Ruby, the man appeared in front of the fist, blocking it with his blade. Roman was mildly surprised that this person was holding out against the mech.

The man pushed back against the fist and sent the mech off balance. Moving impossibly fast, he ran up the arm of the mech and cut it off in one fell swoop. Without its arm, the mech was thrown off balance. It fell on to its side with Roman falling out. The man dropped down in front Roman and grabbed him by the collar. Lifting him off the ground, Ruby heard him speak.

"You appear to be knowledgeable, tell me, what do you know of Icosa Hedron?"

"What? Look buddy, you have no idea who you are talking to, and I have no clue who you are talking about." Roman smirked.

"Oh I believe you do. You are just feigning ignorance. You are just another pawn. I need to find a higher up. Who do you work for?"

"I wouldn't say a pawn…"

The man was knocked back and Roman fell to the ground. Looking up Ruby saw a girl dressed in pink white and brown. She gave a cheeky smile.

"Until next time Red, Guard Dog."

A shot rang out, and Roman and the colorful girl shattered. Ruby got up and was about to thank the strange man, but he was gone. They would meet again. Ruby knew. He was marked for death. That would warrant a visit from Reaper and a Reaper's Warrior.

* * *

That strange man was a new player. Cinder would probably want to know about him. Of course, the new guy, the guy that strange man was after would already know. Roman wouldn't be surprised if he already did. Nevertheless, he was quite surprised to find him at the underground base they had moved to.

 _ **You know, I am not in the habit of giving mercy, but I might be persuaded to make an exception. Inform me of what went down with the mech.**_

"Why are you giving me orders?"

He grabbed Roman by the neck and lifted him off the ground.

 _ **Because, I have taken power. Your previous employer is under my employ. Her employer is under my employ. YOU ARE UNDER MY EMPLOY. I have the power and resources to have you and your pet removed from the picture without anyone being the wiser. Do not test my patience.**_

Roman was put back on the ground.

 _ **Now tell me what I want to know before you regret it.**_

"I was running a White Fang meeting-"

 _ **NO! I want to know what occurred under the highway. What led to losing the paladin.**_

"There was a man with a robot arm, a robot leg, a weapon the glows red and he was searching for you."

 _ **Did he give you a name? No, he wouldn't have.**_

"Do you know who he is?"

 _ **Yes. he is an old enemy of mine. Now, Norman-**_

"It's Roman."

 _ **-this once I will offer you mercy, fail me and I will be far less lenient than your previous employer. Now leave.**_

"Why?"

 _ **Why mercy, or why leave?**_

"Mercy."

 _ **Because, my pawn, you have done two things for me that I couldn't have asked be done better. You revealed that the Reaper's Child is now training to be a Warrior, and you forced an enemy of mine to reveal himself. Now leave.**_

"Who-"

 _ **I SAID LEAVE!**_

Roman left. Roman was not easily scared but that man, that thing, scared him. Then again, Icosa Hedron scared everyone.

* * *

 _ **This is excellent. Stone has revealed himself, but now we have to worry about loose ends. Salem, take some Hedronians and start cleaning up loose ends. No marks, no traces, no evidence.**_

 _ **A pile of bodies tells less of a story than living beings. Nameless, I want you to find Cinder. Have her set up a mission for the teams that involves that village I hedronized when you released me. Yes, the same village that you were hedronized at. After that mission is organized, bring her to me. Bring her lackeys as well. If asked why, tell her...never mind, you don't speak. Let me know. I will speak to her through you.**_

 _ **If she asks she must know that darkness will fall upon this land. She must know that we are the Dark, that we are one. She must know that I am the Dark, I have won, and I am not a person to be trifled with. Go. Time grows short.**_

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

 **Data Log DF020 Information-please leave constructive criticism. Updates to the archives take it into account, and it is much appreciated.**

 **Input command - express_gratitude - Thank you to all who read this, your feedback is much appreciated as is your views. Input command-tip_hat...Command accepted. Input command-Close**

 **Goodbye viewer, Fare thee well.**

 **End Log S.T.K.**


	15. CH13: Honor in Combat

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 13: Honor in Combat

Being able to see the marks of death was a strange experience. One that Ruby would have liked to not repeat. The first time it really stood out was when she went to Scythe's class. For one, she saw the darksign on his right hand. It wasn't as hard to spot as Reaper had made it out to be. The circle was on the back of his hand and little tongues of fire were indeed curling off of it. A rather strange side effect that Reaper seemed to have forgotten to mention was that Ruby could see through the illusion that the ring on Scythe's finger made. All in all, it was a strange experience to see a walking corpse teach a lesson.

The experiences of seeing the marks of death continued. With the arrival of the students from other schools, and the filling up of dorms, Ruby was meeting many new people. However, the meet and greet of new people turned somewhat sour when she met a team from Haven. Their names were Mercury, Emerald and Cinder. The fourth person of their team wasn't present when she met them. Ruby immediately saw a problem with this team, Mercury and Emerald were both marked for death. Ruby could clearly see the blood that distinguished the mark flowing off of their hands, although it was not in such high quantities as that of the strange man who destroyed Roman's mech a few nights ago. The thing was, Mercury and Emerald seemed nice enough.

Speaking of the strange hero, Ruby meant to ask Scythe about him. After meeting with the team from Haven, Ruby dashed off to Scythe's classroom. Upon arriving, she saw Revant and Lukas of team GOLD walking out. Revant looked annoyed and Lukas was simply stoic. Ruby saw that he too was marked for death. The blood flowing off his hands was worse than that of Mercury and Emerald. They didn't seem to notice her as they left.

Entering the room was like entering a warm embrace. Scythe's crystal warmth pyromancy spells were floating throughout the room. They helped to ease her mind, as they always did. She remembered that Scythe explained that the warmth pyromancy was made to restore body, his addition of crystal has helped heal his mind. He never explained what was broken in his mind, but then again, she didn't pry. Scythe noticed her immediately.

"Ruby, how can I help you today?" he asked.

"Hi professor. I was wondering if you knew anything about a half robot guy with a glowing red sword." she responded.

"That's...an odd description." Scythe pondered the request for a minute. "Unfortunately no. doesn't ring a bell. Unless…...was there any other defining characteristics about his sword?"

"It was all black, except for a red aura that surrounded the blade. There was a claw on its hilt and the top edge of the blade was curved. I would say it was a katana but the curve only occured at the tip of the blade."

"That description does sound familiar." Scythe sat down and put his chin on his hand to ponder the information. "The problem is that I can't remember where I heard or saw that blade before. I will have to get back to you on that."

Ruby was about to leave when another question popped up. "Sir, do you know who Emerald and Mercury from Haven are?"

"Yes, why?"

"Why would they be marked for death?"

"They are marked? Interesting. Honestly, I wouldn't know why. Ruby, you haven't been told much about the history of the Reaper's Warriors, have you?"

"Not really."

"Next time you go and train with him, ask Reaper about me. Unlike you, I can't see the marks of death. Ask Reaper, he would tell you why. Have a good day."

Scythe turned back to the board behind his desk and started writing. Ruby noticed he was writing the description of the blade she had seen. As she was leaving she heard Scythe speak to himself.

"Great, as if I didn't have enough to look into. Maybe I need to get out of this school for a while. Take a break. Dang it, now I'm actually listening to Crane."

* * *

HOW DARE HE! That boy, Mercury, he forfeit. He was the one who wanted to fight Pyrrha in the first place. Forfeit is unacceptable. This day, Scythe had decided to sit in on Glynda's combat class. Everything was fine until Mercury Black had challenged Pyrrha to a duel and then forfeit. This was unacceptable. Dueling and combat were meant to honorable. You challenge someone to a duel, or someone challenges you to a duel and you both fight to the end. Scythe had experienced many duels in his lifetime. Healing items and spells were forbidden, you fought on a generally even playing field, and you always greet your opponent. Scythe would usually show them the legions etiquette.

And now, this student from Haven had done the dishonorable. Something had to be done, and Scythe was the one to do it. Standing up he walked to the center of the room, drawing the eyes of each student there. If anyone tried to stop him, he didn't know.

Once he was in front of Mercury, he spoke.

"This is unacceptable! I shall not allow to forfeit."

Glynda spoke up "He is allowed to give up pro-"

"I SAY NO! Not on my watch. I learned of honor. You challenge or accept a challenge to duel you follow through with it. Now Mercury, you will either finish this fight, or I will allow someone else to come down and beat the ever living crap out of you."

Mercury smirked "Is that a challenge?"

"Indeed it is." Scythe looked through the audience, until he settled on a good candidate to fight Mercury. "You there, Greeneye!"

The named four armed student looked up. "What?"

"This student has shown no respect for honorable combat. You are now his opponent. Gather your gear and be in this arena in less than five minutes."

Elzirian shrugged, stood up, and left. Glynda walked up to Scythe.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Combat is a sport of honor as much as it is about weapons. Forfeit in combat is dishonorable, and I will not accept it. I chose a new opponent, and now Mercury Black will face off with our four armed guest Elzirian Greeneye."

Elzirian walked into the arena. His armor was present but he carried no weapons.

"Mr. Greeneye, did you forget your weapons?" Glynda asked him.

"No, lass, I prefer to style myself as fist fighter. These four hands have to be good for something, right?" he walked to the center of the arena and faced Mercury. The four armed student bowed and got ready to fight. Mercury simple took on his battle stance.

"BEGIN!" Scythe called.

Mercury ran forward and sent a flurry of kicks at Elzirian. Each kick was deftly block by the two forearms. His back arms weren't doing anything. One kick was parried and sent Mercury off balance, which was followed by a nasty uppercut. The force of the blow sent Mercury toward the ceiling. Elzirian caught him as he fell.

"Come now, lad, surely you can do better." Elzirian said.

Mercury twisted himself out Elzirian's grip. A frustrated frown graced his face as he landed. His aura was down to 75% while Elzirian's was at 98%...and it was starting to drop.

Looking at him, Mercury saw that the back hands were raised and were making a strange green orb. When it was done, Elzirian threw it into the center of the field. It did nothing, but Mercury was nonetheless wary of it, that is until he was lifted off the ground by Elzirian...again.

"Tell me lad, when was the last time you had your spine tested?" Elzirian asked with a wicked gleam in his eye.

Elzirian lifted Mercury above his head. Mercury realized what was coming and tried to get out of Greeneye's grip, but it was too strong. The four armed student brought Mercury down and slammed his knee into his back. The cracking sound made most of the audience grimace. Elzirian then looked at Scythe and Glynda. Elzirian's aura was 85% while Mercury's was 50%.

"I think you might want to take him to the infirmary. Not many people can walk away from a thank you spine durability test without some injury." He said before walking out of the arena, and giving Mercury the win.

Scythe walked up to Mercury who was laying on the ground in pain. Standing over him, Scythe cast a crystal warmth.

"This won't heal your back, but it should nullify some of the pain." Scythe stood and walked off as well. On his way out he heard Glynda dismiss the rest of the class.

As he was on his way, Elzirian ran back into the arena. He was speaking to himself about how he forgot to grab his distraction. Scythe had to return to his classroom. He was supposed to accompany a student team on a mission tomorrow, and he had to prepare.

Maybe he would stop by the dream, get some more pungent blood cocktails, he was running low again.

* * *

So, first shock was Oobleck. Team RWBY was not expecting him to be their escorting huntsman to Mountain Glenn. That was manageable. The second shock was the fact that they were no longer going to Mountain Glenn. This they found out five minutes after lifting off. Scythe was on the bullhead when the got there. The girls thought it strange that two professors would be accompanying them but thought nothing else on the matter. Oobleck was a little more suspicious of the hollow professor's presence but said nothing.

Scythe explained that he was actually the accompanying huntsman for Team GOLD. Ruby just assumed that they were going to a place near Mountain Glenn, but she could not have been more wrong. This they found out when shouting could be heard from the cockpit, Scythe started rubbing his eyes, and the entire ship veered to the left of the direction the were going.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, this is your new captain speaking. I am afraid to inform that we are no longer going to Mountain Glenn, rather we are headed to a rather unknown village deep in the Emerald Forest. Thank you for your cooperation and please, keep all hands, legs and otherwise unimportant limbs inside the vehicle at all times. Thank you." The voice was recognized to be that of the ever flamboyant Revant.

Team RWBY and Oobleck looked to Scythe for an explanation.

"Let me just say, this was not my idea." Scythe said. "They were assigned a mission, and decided that now was a good time to go. I was not going to argue."

From the front they heard muffled yelling.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE DOING!?" Elzirian could be heard yelling.

"I can't help it, I have never hijacked anything before." Revant's voice echoed.

"What do you mean hijacked, you were in charge of taking out the pilots not being the pilot. That job goes to our local alcoholic."

"Wait, are you saying that you wanted me to kill them? I can still do it!"

"NO! But you were supposed to neutralize them before we boarded the bullhead."

They heard Lukas interject. "BOTH OF YOU, SHUT UP! We are trying to concentrate here."

"They appear to be quite the dysfunctional team, don't they?" Scythe asked. "Well, get comfy, we have a while before we arrive."

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

 **Data Log DF021 Information-The thank you spine durability test joke belongs to Boomstick from Death Battle. I am just borrowing it. Please leave constructive criticism. Updates to the archives take it into account, and it is much appreciated.**

 **Input command - express_gratitude - Thank you to all who read this, your feedback is much appreciated as is your views. Input command-tip_hat...Command accepted. Input command-Close**

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 **End Log S.T.K.**


	16. CH14: The Dark's Message

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 14: _**My Message**_

 _ **Miss Fall, so glad you could join me.**_

Of all things she could be doing right now, it had to be meeting with him.

"Your lackey sent me."

 _ **I know, I told him to. I figured it would be best if I got you and your lap dogs out of the Vale for the time being.**_

"Why?"

 _ **Well...I decided to make a change of plans, we are moving the schedule of the breach to now.**_

"That won't be very effective. If the train leaves early, the breach in the city won't be enough to send the message."

 _ **Still thinking small are we.**_

He stood up and walked over to a window.

 _ **I thought I told you that we would be experiencing a change in plans. The breach in Vale is no longer to send a message, no I will be sending that message. I have Hedronians waiting to let me know when an old friend of mine is ready to hear it. As of now, I would like you here. The leader of the White Fang has surely gotten wind of the change in plans and is going to be here soon.**_

"Why would he be coming here?"

 _ **I had a Hedronian tell him where I was.**_

The door opened and in walked Adam Taurus, flanked by the Nameless King and another Hedronian.

 _ **Thank you Nameless. Miss Fall, Nameless would prefer it if you didn't refer to him as a lackey. Now then, Mister Taurus, how may I help you?**_

"I want to know who you are and why you are loading Faunus onto the train to breach Vale." the bull faunus said.

Icosa turned around to him and bowed.

 _ **Well then, I am Icosa Hedron, the Dark. As for the train, we have moved the schedule up, and I decided that having some White Fang on the train will be a worthwhile distraction.**_

"You think your life is worth more than theirs, human?" Adam said while reaching for his blade.

Icosa struck before anyone knew what had happened. His right arm was outstretched and the darkanium that it was composed of had slammed Adam into the wall. The darkanium on his skull pulled back and his eyes burned their sinister purple fire.

 _ **First off, Mister Taurus, do not think that you are above me. In this world, I have removed seven people from power already, only one of them still lives. Second, do not refer to me as human. Do I look human to you. Third, I do think my life is worth more than theirs, but then again, I couldn't care less about most mortal lives in this universe. Fourth, you are under my control. Do this again and I won't hesitate to Hedronize you. Finally, DO NOT REFER TO ME AS HUMAN!**_

The darkanium receded and Adam fell to the floor. Icosa turned back to the window.

 _ **I will warn you this once. Cross me again, and I will relieve you of your skeleton. The rage and power that burns within you could hold shape for many years to come. You may leave Taurus, I have business to deal with.**_

Adam backed out of the room, The Nameless King and other Hedronian followed him.

 _ **You wanted something Miss Fall?**_

"Yes, what do you mean you have removed seven people from power already?"

 _ **You organization. I dethroned the lady Salem, and hedronized the others that were working with you and under her. You have remained mostly loyal, thus you live. She was Hedronized and retained some free will.**_

"So she is alive?"

 _ **No, retaining some semblance of your mind means you become a general in my army. Unfortunately, she had to hedronized again. She resisted my will.**_

"What?"

 _ **I don't know if you realize, but the hedronization process is twofold, first the body, then the mind. I convert the flesh to darkanium, effectively killing the host. However, I let the mind live on. In the mind, I attack. A fragment of my mind attacks theirs and slowly wipes them out of existence. However, beings that are exceptionally powerful tend to make good generals. I attack them with a weaker fragment, if they can harmonize with my mind they retain some free will, but they are subject to my will. A second hedronization guarantees that they lose all free will.**_

Icosa turned to her, a sinister smile gracing his skull.

 _ **It seems that they have landed. Well Miss Fall, it is time. The train is leaving it's station now. Tell me, Cinder, do you think this world is ready? Because whether or not it is, Remnant will meet its maker.**_

* * *

Landing in the destroyed village was less than smooth. Team GOLD may have done well hijacking the aircraft but landing it was another matter entirely. The ride was smooth, landing less so. The bullhead was still flyable, give or take the landing gear and one of the engines. Nonetheless, they had arrived at the village.

Stepping off the bullhead was quite surreal. The air was heavy with negativity, almost as if the fear and emotions of the people of this village had been amplified ten times over. It should have been a beacon to the Grimm, yet there were none in sight. The village itself was covered in the same black material that made up the beings of darkness. A lot of it was flowing along the sides of the streets. Some buildings were torn to shreds, but had massive spikes or webs of the stuff holding the rubble to what was left of the building. At the borders of the village, they noticed that a black ring was on the ground, it appeared to go all the way around the village. The worst part were several rotting skeletons, stuck to the walls of buildings, hanging from arches, and impaled to the streets. Lukas was the first to speak.

"It seems that this was more than a Grimm attack. RWBY and Oobleck, you take the northern end of the village and work your way to the center, we'll take the southern end. It might be best if we try to avoid any Grimm we see and don't touch the darkness."

"That sounds like a good plan mister Septum. Come along girls." Oobleck led the way.

"What are we looking for?" Revant asked.

"A message and anyone who might have survived. Let's move."

* * *

The northern end of the village was no better than the southern. The main difference was less bodies. Yang would have liked to protect Ruby from seeing horrors like this, but she didn't get much say in the matter. All the death and destruction around them led to a somber mood and quiet atmosphere. Ruby was however taking things rather well. Her training with Reaper had sort of desensitized her to death. Still, impaled bodies and rotting corpses were quite disturbing.

One thing was for certain, this village had not been destroyed by Grimm. It was too calculated, too strange to be Grimm. This hypothesis was further supported as they got close to the village center. The small group started to see dead Grimm, but they weren't dissolving as Grimm were known to do on death. They were stuck and melting in the darkness, as Lukas had called it.

"Fascinating." Oobleck broke the silence. "I don't think anyone has seen a Grimm corpse like this before." He was kneeling next to a melting Beowolf. The mask of the beast slid off. It hit the ground with a dull splat. Needless to say, it was quite disgusting, even if it was a Grimm. After the melting Beowolf, they saw more bodies, another Beowolf, an Ursa, and even a Nevermore. All melting. All dead.

It was the village center that took the cake though. They arrived at the same time as the others. Team GOLD and Scythe came up to them. Scythe was the first to speak.

"Anything interesting?" he asked.

"We found the most interesting thing. Dead Grimm slowly melting into the the black liquid." Oobleck said.

"It's called Darkanium." Revant said joining them. "We have had some experience with it before. Highly destructive."

"I think we have bigger problems right now." Blake said pointing at the center of the village.

Piled high in the center of the square, was a massive mound of bodies. Twisted together and flowing with the Darkanium, a grotesque monument to the the darkness the flowed through the village. On top of the pile of skeletons and darkness was a standing headless skeleton. Its skull was in its hand raised high, and supported by a single spike of Darkanium. The liquid darkness was flowing from the skull's eye sockets. The strange monument brought to Scythe's mind images of Shakespeare's Hamlet.

While they looked on, Lukas stepped up to the mound, and the skeleton on top started moving. First, it bowed then placed the skull on its neck. The scrolls of each person present started going off. Pulling them out, they saw an image of the skeleton on the mound, but the image on their scrolls had a sinister purple fire in its eyes. It started speaking.

 _ **Remnant. What's left of the planet this world used to be. I am speaking to all humans and faunus. All Huntsmen and Huntresses, Warriors and civilians. White Fang and Grimm. This is a message to all living beings on this planet.**_

 _ **I have been waiting for this day for a long time. You have lived a cosy life. Protected by your Huntsmen and Huntresses who go out and tirelessly slaughter the creatures you have called the Grimm. That changes today. The Grimm are mindless and only attack out of the need to. They have grown weak compared to the people of this world. I am changing that.**_

 _ **In the heart of the lands of the Grimm, I have been building an army. I have sent agents into each of your kingdoms and villages, and now, the time is right. You will fear me now or learn to fear me. I will give you a choice, lay down your arms. Surrender to us and your death will be quick and painless. Fight and you will die slowly and painfully. Either way, this world will be mine.**_

 _ **Today, I give you this message and so you know that I am not making idle threats, I tell you to turn your eyes to Vale and see my power.**_

 _ **TODAY YOU WILL KNOW WHO I AM. REMNANT, I AM YOUR MAKER. I RESHAPED THIS WORLD WHEN IT FLOWED WITH DARKNESS ALL THOSE CENTURIES AGO AND NOW I WILL RECLAIM IT. YOU WILL KNOW WHO I AM.**_

 _ **I AM ICOSA HEDRON! I AM THE DARK, AND I HAVE ALREADY WON!**_

Their scrolls turned off. A feeling of dread washed over the group. Vale was going to be attacked. Scythe was accessing the news sites. One came up with an image of downtown Vale. it showed what appeared to be a train had crashed in through the center of the town. Grimm were pouring out of the hole and the Huntsmen and Huntresses were fighting back.

"We have to get back to Vale now." Scythe said.

The turned to start heading back to the bullhead when a voice was heard. The skeleton on top of the mound was speaking in Icosa's voice.

 _ **This is a special message for the Keepers. I would like to introduce you to a new unit i have been making for my army. I call them Dark Fiends. I hope you enjoy this little diversion.**_

Darkanium and bones from throughout the village started to flow toward the mound. As more of it collected, a monstrous being started to take shape. Two massive hands of bone and darkanium erupted from the mound. They hit the ground and started pushing up. As the titanic being rose, it started to take shape. It was more or less human in shape, it stood at about fifty feet tall. It left arm was more akin to a cannon than an arm.

"Great, this is going to be fun." Elzirian said, a grin of twisted glee on his face. His arms were glowing green.

Revant pulled out to bone spike blades. The spikes appeared to be from a Grimm. Dorian revealed a massive gun, and Lukas unsheathed two white swords.

"I hope you people are ready for a fight!" Lukas told them as they activated their various weapons. "Dorian, send a message to Ozpin, he needs to evacuate Beacon!"

"HAVE AT THEE! AAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Elzirian screamed as he ran at the the massive being.

"So much for a plan!" Ruby yelled as the rest of Team GOLD went in for the attack. Team RWBY joined as well. Yang and Elzirian started blasting and pounding at the legs of the massive monster. Revant was climbing up the monsters back while slashing at it in various places. Weiss, with the help of her glyphs, and Blake were dashing all around taking more calculated hits at the giant. Oobleck and Ruby provided covering fire. Scythe took a swig of a pungent blood cocktail and started firing his pyromantic pistol at the giant. Lukas was at the head, hacking and slashing away with the ferocity of a hunter.

Things seemed to be going well, until the giant decided to defend itself. The Blake and Weiss were the first to be hit by a calculated swing of the giants arm cannon. A swift kick sent Yang flying into a building that collapsed around her. Elzirian had grabbed onto the foot as it kicked, and let go as the foot reached the highest it would go. The result was being shot a few hundred feet into the air and a few hundred feet away toward the edge of the village. Revant was safe as he couldn't be reached, but Scythe Oobleck and Ruby weren't a shot from the arm cannon of the Dark Fiend was enough to take them out. Despite moving, they were predictable targets. Lukas was also an easy target. At least he should have been.

The monsters hand grabbed Lukas and pulled him off the giant's face. It would have tried to crush him, if the blades that he hadn't stabbed the hand of the giant. Despite being dead, those blades still burned. The giant let go of him, but he wasn't done yet. He grabbed the giants hand and pulled himself onto its arm. The Dark Fiend raised the arm cannon to Lukas and shot. Lukas tried to block the shot. The impact from the massive darkanium bullet blasted the Dark Fiends hand off and knocked the two swords out of Lukas' hands. Lukas was sent flying to the ground.

The Dark Fiend started laughing at them. Its voice loud and guttural. The others were slow to recover. Dorian being the first. Revant was still on the giant's back and saw Lukas, and what he saw, made him jump of the Dark Fiend.

"No J-Lukas. STOP!" he yelled when he hit the ground and started running at his team leader.

The others looked to where Revant was running to. Lukas was standing now, somehow unharmed and his eyes were different. Somehow, they were glowing black. A strange incorporeal armor was slowly forming around him. Scythe recognized it as the armor that was once worn by the Lothric knights, just clear and no cape. Out of his back were two strange wings. They had the spines of bats wings, but instead of a wing membrane, they were also incorporeal and were flowing blood, the same blood that flowed from his hands. Scythe realized he was looking at a mark of death on this person.

He flicked his right arm and a black sword with a clawed hilt was launched above him. He leaped and grabbed it while it was falling. His wings weren't moving and yet he was flying. Over the laughter of the giant they heard his voice. It was booming with anger and roaring with authority.

"THIS WORLD WILL NOT BELONG TO ICOSA HEDRON! FEEL THE WRATH OF THE REAVER OF SOULS!"

He sped toward the giant and then through it. The blade had severed the massive head from the neck. This was evidenced by the fact that the head immediately started falling forward while the giant's body fell back. The giant hit the ground and the darkanium started to flow away from the body as it fell in on itself. Lukas slowly came to the ground. Where he was bombarded by questions.

"What was that?"

"Did you launch a sword out of your arm?

"Who are you?"

"What are you?"

"I thought we weren't supposed to reveal ourselves?"

"We don't have time to talk now. Vale is under attack. We have to get back to Beacon." he answered.

"Why not Vale? That's where the main attack is happening." Weiss said.

"Because Icosa is not attacking Vale, he is going after Beacon. Bronze, take the bullhead." He said before taking off again.

"What is going on?!" Yang yelled. "And why did he leave without us?"

"He can move at speeds much faster than the bullhead. As for what's going on...well...look, if he doesn't tell you, I will. But first, we need to get back to Beacon. If he's right, and he usually is, then your school doesn't stand a chance." Revant told them.

Reluctantly they loaded onto the Bullhead. They had to hurry. Icosa was on his way to Beacon, unless he was already there. As they took off, it started raining. Darkness was coming.

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

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	17. CH15: Darkening Beacon

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 15: Darkening Beacon

The message from Icosa was worrying. The fact that it was somehow broadcast to every scroll on Remnant was not much of a comfort. Something major was going to happen in Vale. Then he received another message.

Evacuate Beacon. Icosa is coming.

The number from which it came from was unknown to Ozpin, but if they had information that Icosa Hedron was coming to Beacon then maybe it would be best if he evacuated the academy. A good excuse for evacuation came from Vale. The impact was strong enough that Ozpin could have sworn he felt in the tower. Calls for help were flowing in, a breach had occurred in the city and Grimm were pouring through it.

Sending a message over the school's intercom, Ozpin ordered all huntsman and Huntress teams to head to Vale immediately. With it being such a large school. It took a little time, but soon enough bullheads were on their way to Vale.

As the last bullhead was taking off, a large black spear like object impaled the ship. It flew for a few seconds more before plummeting back down onto the cliff that Beacon was situated on. A black figure was walking up to the ship.

He had to get down there, he was the headmaster and he had to protect his students. The bullhead was perched quite precariously on the edge of the cliff. The black figure in front of it appeared to have sealed it shut. He turned around to face Ozpin. A smile on his face, and no skin to speak of. Ozpin noticed that underneath the black liquid that appeared to be flowing from him, were the faceplates of various Grimm. His skull was completely clear, except for two hauntingly purple fires in his eyes.

 _ **So...this is the finest humanity has to offer? Pathetic, but you will make for a good message. Tell me, how would your world react to having your head mounted above this academy's door?**_

"Let the students go. I would prefer it if we didn't have to resort to violence." Ozpin told him. There was no doubt, this was Icosa Hedron.

He started chuckling as he walked toward the center of the courtyard. Stopping at the crest of Beacon, he knelt down.

 _ **This world has forgotten me. But a monument built in my name will help them remember. Tell me, do you remember me?**_

He placed a small sphere in the center of the crest. After backing off from it he lifted his hand, as if pulling something up, and the sphere in the center of the courtyard brke. From the crest erupted a massive black spire that ended in three points, with a black sphere in the center. From the sphere a beam of black and purple light shone on the beacon of the academy. The normally soothing green light turned black.

 _ **It's not much, but in time, this monument will show this world who I am. Although, I fear it's not enough.**_

Icosa pulled from his body a blade, so black it threatened to blot out the sun. Even though it was an inanimate object, Ozpin could feel the evil radiating from the blade. In response, Ozpin drew his own weapon.

 _ **You know, despite my power, I love a good old fashioned sword fight.**_

Icosa rushed forward with a flurry of powerful strikes with his blade. Years of training and practice had given Ozpin the skills and speed he needed to block or deflect the Icosa's strikes. Deflecting a particularly heavy strike from Icosa was enough to give Ozpin an advantage. With him off balance, Ozpin smashed his cane into the side of Icosa's skull an audible and visible crack was heard. Icosa was thrown toward the monument he had erected and it started to rain.

"You don't have to get up. Stay down." Ozpin said "Your skull is damaged and can easily be destroyed."

 _ **I don't care, it's just a body. It can be replaced.**_

On the horizon, Ozpin noticed a white object moving fast and towards Beacon. This distraction afforded Icosa enough time to recover. Moving faster than thought possible, he disarmed Ozpin with a particularly strong punch to his arm, audibly snapping bone. A kick to his legs forced Ozpin to kneel before him.

 _ **How do you think your world would react to seeing the best of best kneeling before me? Tell you what, I will let you have some last words before I Hedronize you. You should be honored. So, any last words?**_

Ozpin looked at Icosa, who was standing triumphantly over him. The white object in the distance was almost on top them. It looked both demonic and angelic at the same time.

"Duck." Ozpin said.

Icosa looked at him inquisitively, before the white being slammed into Icosa and sent him flying. The being was armored in a strange incorporeal armor, with two bat like wings, flowing with blood instead of a membrane. The blade in his hands was black with a red aura about it and a clawed hilt.

"Stay down Ozpin. You are injured and will be of no help against him." Ozpin recognized the voice of Lukas.

Icosa had recovered by this time as well. Standing up he saw Lukas garbed in white. He started laughing like a madman.

 _ **HA HAHA HA HAHA! How are you doing, Jack? Like the gift I left for you? New Hedronians are always fun aren't they?**_

Icosa and Jack started walking circling each other. Both ready to strike.

 _ **I must say, I had hoped he would delay you longer, but I guess it can't be helped.**_

Icosa did something that apparently neither expected. He threw his blade. It was a simple but effective distraction. Turning back to Icosa, they saw that his hands were bathed in purple fire and he was lifted about three feet off the ground.

 _ **This is just a body, but it was effective. Tell me Ozpin, Jack, DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?**_

 _ **I AM THE DARK AND I AM ONE.**_

The flame on his hands engulfed his entire body. Jack ran over and pulled Ozpin behind the monument.

 _ **I am the Dark, I have won.**_

Icosa's body blew up. The destructive force decimated the courtyard of the academy. The armor that covered his skeleton turned his body into a strange Grimm mask frag grenade. The arches around the courtyard had crumbled, Grimm masks were embedded in pretty much everything, and the bullhead that Icosa had pulled down was sent off the cliff. Lukas/Jack had turned and flew off after the bullhead.

A bullhead flew overhead and landed in what was left of the courtyard. Bullheads could be seen on the horizon approaching from Vale. Team RWBY and the rest of Team GOLD disembarked from the bullhead.

"Did we miss the party?" Elzirian asked

"Yes, but Icosa is dead." Ozpin told them.

"He isn't dead." Jack said standing behind them. "He may have destroyed his body, but that was only a body. Icosa is a being of consciousness. Also the pilots of that bullhead are dead, the students aboard are fine, a few injuries but mostly fine."

"Will one you explain to me what is going on now?!" Yang practically yelled at them.

"Meet in Ozpin's office, 10 minutes. We will answer your questions." Revant said.

"Where are you going?" Weiss asked.

"I need to dream." he said before disappearing in a strange blue mist.

"Back up, How can someone who blew himself up not be dead?" Ozpin asked.

"He isn't a physical being. The body he inhabits is nothing more than a puppet." Dorian said.

"Do all of you know what's going on?" Yang asked.

"Yes. Ozpin's office, 10 minutes." The rest of team GOLD entered the academy.

* * *

"Well, that could have gone better."

 _ **Now is not a good time, Cinder. And things went perfectly.**_

"Really?"

 _ **Yes, the monument is built, Remnant know of my power, and soon, they will all kneel before me, just as Ozpin did.**_

"Ozpin knelt before you?"

 _ **Indeed, I brought him to his knees. A crowning moment of glory if I do say so myself. It has also revealed to us that the keepers are in Remnant.**_

"Keepers?"

 _ **Yes, now will you stop repeating what I say as question. It's starting to annoy me. Anyway, the Keepers are my mortal enemies. They are the protectors of different aspects of reality. I am the opposite of them, I am a harbinger of reality. This is besides the point. Where are your lackies?**_

"Clearing up loose ends."

 _ **Call them back, I will have some Hedronians do that.**_

"What happens next? And where is Roman?"

 _ **Next we move on. I have Hedronians determining which kingdom is the weakest. It shall be the first to fall. As for Roman, I have been informed he was captured by the Atlesian forces attempting to flee from the chaos that ensued after the breach. His cowardice can not be accepted.**_

"What will you do?"

 _ **That has yet to be determined. Now leave me, find your lackies and return to Beacon. I will notify you when it is time to make our next move.**_

"One more question, why a monument?"

 _ **At Beacon? It is designed to destabilize time. If Time falls, this world will too. When this world falls, it will be ripe for the taking. Leave me Cinder, I have things to do, people to kill, and Time to destroy.**_

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

 **Data Log DF023 Information-Please leave constructive criticism. Updates to the archives take it into account, and it is greatly appreciated.**

 **Input command - express_gratitude - Thank you to all who read this, your feedback is much appreciated as is your views. Input command-tip_hat...Command accepted. Input command-Close**

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 **End Log S.T.K.**


	18. CH16: Questions and Keepers

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 16: Questions and Keepers

The silence was deafening. They were waiting in Ozpin's office for Reaper to arrive. No one said a thing. Mostly, they were just passing glares and other such looks to each other. Reaper was the first to break the silence.

"Is Crane going to arrive soon?" he asked.

"He should have been here already." Lukas responded.

The elevator dinged and Revant stepped out.

"Well, speak of the devil and he shall arrive." Elzirian said.

"Will you explain what is going on now?" Yang asked.

"Yes, first we should properly introduce ourselves. You already know Reaper." Lukas said. "As I am sure you have probably guessed the names that you know us by are really just pseudonyms or aliases or whatever you want to call them. My actual name is Jack Stone, the Keeper of Time. Elzirian's actual name is Lord Energon Keeper of Energy. And Dorian's name is General Bronze. You already know Reaper, Keeper of Death. Finally, we have Revant, originally known as Hannible Crane, Keeper of Space. We don't know his name now. We are the Keepers of reality and it is our job to protect reality from those who wish it to be destroyed."

He pointed at each of them as he introduced them. Only Jack changed in appearance. His right arm and right leg changed. They were clearly mechanical.

Yang spoke up. "So...you're like a secret society heroes or gods or something?"

Energon looked at Yang, then started laughing. Reaper soon joined him while Jack looked on, a disapproving look on his face. The others were just confused.

Crane stepped in. "Let me explain somethings. First off, we are not gods...well maybe except me. We are still mortal for the most part. Also we are not a secret society. Four guys and a robot hardly account for an entire society." he said.

"One more thing." Jack spoke up. Reaper and Energon stopped laughing. "We aren't heroes."

"How can you not be heroes when you protect the universe?" Ruby asked.

"Because...we have all done great evil in our time. Reaper is probably the only one of us who hasn't done a great evil."

"What did he do?" Blake asked.

"I...uh...I destroyed the moon." Reaper said while rubbing the back of his neck. "Icosa had a lot of Darkanium and Hedronians on the moon at the time and I figured the best way to stop them was to destroy the moon."

"And a bridge in the process." Crane mumbled.

"Indeed. The evil of Energon and Crane has more to do with who they are than what they have done. Energon was made as a genocidal artificial intelligence and Crane was once a general for Icosa's army." The Keeper of Time continued.

"Yeah, now I'm only a homicidal energy construct." Energon said rather excitedly.

"And I am no longer of this dimension." Crane said rolling his eyes. "What about you Jack?"

Jack looked down. "I destroyed my home universe."

Team RWBY and Ozpin stared at Jack. The fact that the man in front of them had destroyed an entire universe was rather disconcerting.

"Why?" Weiss asked.

Jack looked up. No one had ever asked why. "If I didn't, Icosa would have destroyed everything and remade it in his own twisted image. If I didn't a paradox would be ruling everything. If I didn't, we would be living in a paradox." Jack responded.

A sobering silence settled on the group. Ruby now understood why he was marked for death, yet couldn't die. He had destroyed an entire universe, but he had to live to protect the current one.

"One more question." Weiss asked. "Why do you speak of him like he isn't one of you?" She pointed at Crane.

"Well...technically I'm not. I was a Hedronian, but now I am so much more." He answered. "Unfortunately, you can't see it."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Weiss asked.

"He means you can't see it because you don't have the insight into eldritch truths the world." Scythe said.

"Exactly." Crane answered. "I can give you the insight you need to see it. Scythe, you may want some more yourself."

"Why?" he asked.

"Well, after you burned Yharnam down, we figured out ways to close people's eyes to the eldritch and open them." Crane answered glaring at Scythe. "Your's we closed a long time ago. Thought you can still see me."

Another name that was unfamiliar to them. Ruby figured this was the city that Scythe did not want to talk about.

"Indeed, you remember Byrgenwerth's adage? We modified it to give, now when someone says it the way it has been modified, a Great One would see fit to bestow that insight upon those who utter it."

"Byrgenwerth's adage?" Ozpin asked.

"Indeed, repeat after me to be granted the insight needed to see the eldritch truths of you world. One warning, should you choose to have your eyes opened, do not look into my eyes. There you will only find a loss of whatever sanity remains." Crane said.

After a brief pause he started speaking again. "You are born of the Blood. Made men by the Blood. Undone by the Blood. Your eyes are yet to open. Fear our Blood."

Surprisingly, Ruby was the only one who repeated the phrase. When she finished speaking, a strange purple mist ringed with stars appeared around her head for a brief moment. When it disappeared, she looked to Crane then out one of the windows. Upon seeing both of what she saw, she screamed in fright and hid behind Yang.

Curiosity overtook them, and the rest of the group repeated the adage. The same eldritch mist appeared, and what they saw horrified them. Crane had changed. The upper half of his body looked like a humanoid skeleton with blackened blood dripping off the ribcage. All the bones were stained red and black except the skull. The lower half of his body was standing on four strange tentacle like limbs. At the end of each limb was a serrated red bone spike. Coming off the back of the clavicles were another eight tentacled limbs, four on each side of the head. These held a blue-ish color to them. The two tentacles closest to the arms were wrapped around the all the way up to the hands, giving an appearance similar to muscles on the bones. The other six tentacles hung down its back, like a living cape. Each of them moved with what seemed to be a mind of its own. His head had a black fire burning out of the eye sockets. On top sat a crown of strange seven fingered hands.

Out the window they say another strange monster, not as terrifying as Crane but still terrifying. They could only see what they assumed to be its head, but that was enough. A strange web like skull wove around its head. Inside the holes of the strange skull weave, they could make out eyes, countless eyes many of which staring into the office. A large mass of tentacles twisted and curled off the bottom end of the beings head. Beyond that, they could see more of those monsters clinging to various buildings in Vale.

Crane saw that they were terrified. To ease the tension a little he changed back into the more human form. After the shock wore off questions started came at him.

"What are you?"

"What are they?"

"How did you that?"

"Why are you here?"

"Well...first off, I am The Keeper of Space. And the ruler of the Great Ones. Mostly through power. Those creatures out there, however, respect me. They are the Amygdalas. The ones with the tentacle mouths are the Greater Amygdalas. I changed back because when I was a Hedronian, I had a limited shapeshifting ability. Upon my transcension, that ability became only useful in turning me into this human form. As for why I am here, Icosa is so we are."

"How is that no one has noticed those Amygdalas?" Ozpin asked. "Also what is that monument that Icosa built for?"

"It looks like the hunter's mark, but sinister and upside down." Scythe said.

"Simple, only those with the insight to see can notice them, and I called them here about ten minutes ago. You would be surprised at how fast they can move."

"That monument is probably going to be used to disrupt time. Enough questions for now. Bronze and I have important business to deal with." Jack said.

Jack went to the elevator with Bronze following him. Energon and Crane left as well. Reaper stayed behind. Surprisingly, Ozpin said he had to leave as well.

"It seems you still have questions." Reaper said.

"Yeah, is there anything I need to know about the Reaper's Warriors?" Ruby asked.

"Yes. There was a time when there were many. You know, this may seem strange, but I started the warriors for two reasons. One, because I was told to in order to give the people of this timeline an edge against the darkness and because I want to find an heir." Reaper said. The rest of team RWBY had left.

"An heir?"

"Yes. As Keepers, we can't just quit unless we find someone who can replace us. For Jack, it will be his oldest son. Crane is planning on it being his youngest daughter, and Energon isn't planning on giving up his power anytime soon. I can't have children to pass my power onto, hence the Reaper's Warriors. Don't worry, you shall not be death. That curse goes to someone else."

"Speaking of heirs, why would Scythe be looking at my family history?"

"He told me was doing that, said it had something to do with your soul. It is far different than that of your sister. Different enough that he came to us asking for help. Now enough questions, dusk is upon us and you need to learn how to summon help."

Ruby could tell he was dodging the question, but he was right. Her training did have to continue. Reaper took them to his home. Training would continue.

* * *

Roman was bored. Being captured during the breach of Vale was not part of the plan. Apparently, having Hedronians be present was also not part of the plan. The explosion from Beacon did have him riled up though. It meant that Icosa had actually attacked the school. Maybe that meant that he would come and break Roman out of his prison.

Nah, who was he kidding, Icosa held little regard for the lives of anyone other than himself. Still, anything would be better than sitting in a cell with nothing to do. At least Ironwood let him keep his hat.

Time was passing and nothing was happening. Time passed and nothing happened. More time passed and still nothing happened. After much time had passed, Roman heard the sounds of a struggle occuring. Guards were calling for backup. Something, or someone, slammed into the door to the holding area.

The door opened and in he walked. Icosa stopped in front of Roman's cell, a black blade dripping with blood hanging at his side. He gave Roman a sinister smile before opening the cell.

 _ **You know, it is not good form for my subordinates to be captured by the enemy.**_

"Hey, I didn't give them any information. They hadn't even interrogated me yet." Roman said. The sweat on his forehead gave away the calm demeanor as nothing more than a facade.

 _ **I don't think you quite realize the position I am in, Northtwit.**_

"It's Torchwick."

 _ **You see, in the grand army of Hedronians, we see being captured as a sign of cowardice, cowardice is a sign of fear. Fear equals failure. Failure is treasonous, and treason against me is worthy of death. We run a very strict regimen in my army, and you don't seem to fit the mold.**_

"What are you saying?"

 _ **Actually, come to think about, not many people fit the mold. I will use you.**_

He moved faster than Roman could think and smashed the hilt of his blade into Roman's knee. The bone shattered and Roman was writhing on the ground in pain. Icosa relished it.

 _ **Yes, you will do nicely. I warned you Norman, but you failed me. Now you will suffer the consequences.**_

Icosa smashed Roman's other knee with the same bone shattering force.

 _ **I will allow you some last words. Do you have any?**_

Through gritted teeth, Roman said "Screw you. My name is Roman."

 _ **Poor choice of last words if I say so myself.**_

Icosa smashed Roman's right hand with his foot.

 _ **And so, the screams of pain were the last things heard from Norman Northtwit on that night. And a warning was sent to all the peoples of Remnant, who shudder at the absence of light. Heh, pathetic.**_

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

 **Data Log DF024 Information-Please leave constructive criticism. Updates to the archives take it into account, and it is greatly appreciated.**

 **Input command - express_gratitude - Thank you to all who read this, your feedback is much appreciated as is your views. Input command-tip_hat...Command accepted. Input command-Close**

 **Goodbye viewer, Fare thee well.**

 **End Log S.T.K.**


	19. CH17: Ignorance and Stupidity

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 17: Ignorance and Stupidity

Returning to his office, ozpin found it mostly empty. Ironwood was there, and he didn't look all to happy. Whether it was because the breach in Vale, Icosa, or some other reason, Ozpin couldn't tell. He simply grabbed his mug, some coffee and sat down at his desk. A long minute of silence passed before Ironwood spoke.

"Ozpin, what is going on at Beacon? First a breach in Vale, and now there is a dark evil monument standing over the crest of this school in the courtyard." Ironwood said.

"Well, four beings more powerful than the maidens have come to Remnant." Ozpin answered cryptically.

"Who do you mean?" Ironwood questioned.

"He means us, or rather me and my...associates." Jack stepped out of the shadows. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Jack Stone."

"How can you be more powerful than the maidens, and why are you here?" Ironwood asked.

"I am more powerful than them because I am the Keeper of Time, and if you must know, the maidens were an experiment. It was, rather is, an ongoing test to see what would happen if normal people who proved themselves worthy had some of the power of time. As for why I am here, the answer to that is Icosa." Jack explained.

Ironwood and Ozpin just stared at him in stunned silence. Perhaps it was the revelation that the four maidens were just science experiments, or that the "wizard" from the legend was in front of them.

"I must say, that legend doesn't do me justice, I have never once, nor ever will be a wizard. Good story though. Anyways. The main reason I'm here is because of the Vytal Festival that."

"What do you want to do with the festival?" Ozpin asked.

"Shut it down." came the curt reply.

"Come again?" Ironwood responded.

"Shut. Down. The. Vytal. Festival. Or postpone it, I don't care." Jack repeated.

"We can't shut down the festival, if we did that the citizens would riot, there would panic in the streets." Ozpin said.

"Good. If the citizens panic then-"

"-Then the Grimm would flock to the city like moths to a flame." Ironwood interrupted.

"You're worried about protecting the citizens from the Grimm!?" Jack asked.

"Yes, we are. Are you not?" Ozpin responded incredulous.

"Compared to Icosa, the Grimm are nothing! At least death by Grimm ends. Icosa would trap your mind and soul in the darkanium that makes up his body. Let me tell you this, if the you don't shut down or postpone the festival, then we will work to stop the festival." Jack turned to leave.

"Why do you want the festival shut down?" Ozpin asked.

"Because the festival is the perfect target. When Icosa begins his attack, the festival will be the target." Jack answered.

"It won't be possible for that to happen. The Atlesian army will be able to defend the citizens." Ironwood replied.

"Have you ever heard of Martin Luther King Jr? He once said 'Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.' Now tell me, General, is your ignoring of my warnings about Icosa sincere ignorance, or is it conscientious stupidity." Jack returned as he left.

* * *

Despite repeatedly returning to his strange home, Ruby always found the castle of death to be on the creepy side. The feeling had lessened over time, but it was still there. This night, Reaper was teaching her the most useful aspect of being a Reaper's Warrior. The most notable thing about this training was a rather conspicuous lack of weapons and a small pile of bones sitting in front of them.

"Alright Ruby, let's try something else. The old way of teaching this is clearly not going to work." Reaper mumbled to himself.

Ruby was currently straining to do...something to the pile of bones. She had been told that a Reaper's Warrior had the uncanny ability to call the dead to defend them. It was for this reason that Reaper's Warriors were feared, Reaper had explained. He had even suggested that with enough training, a Warrior could, potentially exert this control on beings that were still alive, so long as they had a skeleton of some sort.

"Alright, stop straining yourself. You'll burst a vessel." Reaper commanded.

"I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I am doing everything as you told me." Ruby complained.

"Try something else. It is not about forcing the bones to your will, that is not what this power is used for. It's to be-"

Used for defense I know." Ruby interrupted. "Then why am I not being attacked? If it is an aggressively defensive power, then why not insert some danger?"

"Because, inserting danger without said person knowing what they are doing has led to...complications...disasters in the past. An army of angry dead is not something I want to deal with again. Think of it not as forcing the dead to your will, but rather that you are commanding them to help. Exert your will, identify yourself as a Reaper's Warrior. With that title, the dead will obey." Reaper paused to consider something. Then a light bulb went off in his head. "I got it. Think of this extension of your will as if it were your aura. In actuality it isn't, but that is the best I can think of. Treat it like your aura, but don't use your aura. You get what I'm saying?"

With a small nod of confirmation, Reaper directed her back toward the pile of bones. A flash of white appeared behind them. Reaper turned around to see Jack standing there. Ruby looked as if she was extremely focused on her task that she didn't notice, but that wasn't the case.

"Jack, may I ask what you are doing and WHY YOU HAVE FROZEN TIME IN MY HOME!?" Reaper demanded.

"Simple, the festival won't be cancelled. In three relative hours, we need to talk. I am simply letting you know. Any progress?" Jack answered.

"Surprisingly yes. She has progressed in the training faster than any before her. Given her heritage, it is unsurprising. Why?"

But Jack was already gone. Time had continued flowing. Reaper just sighed.

"We may be friends, but there are times when I can't stand that son of a motherless goat." Reaper mumbled under his breath.

Looking back at Ruby, he was quite delighted to see that the pile of bones had actually taken a somewhat relative shape of a human skeleton. Of course it was still inanimate, but it was better than nothing. Ruby dropped her arms down to her side, and sat down with a huff.

"How the heck do I do this?" Ruby asked.

"Simple. You practice, I'll be honest this is the most progress I have seen in the shortest amount of time." Reaper said. He raised his hand, palm up, fingers arched. The bones formed a fully animate human skeleton. It gave a brief bow to Reaper and Ruby before walking off.

"How can that be much progress when compared to what you can do?" Ruby asked.

"Well, for one, I have had several millennia to practice, so there's that. And, unlike you, I am the Keeper of Death. Natural powers and all that. Honestly, getting the bones into the shape of a human is an excellent feat for one who has had so little training. The last person who progressed this fast was actually your ancestor. The son of the only unwilling Reaper's Warrior."

"Who?" Ruby asked. She watched as the reminiscent smile on Reaper's face became strained at his slip of the tongue.

"..."

A short awkward silence ensued. Ruby was staring at Reaper expectantly. His resolve was breaking. It appeared that not even the Keeper of Death, the literal Grim Reaper could completely resist Ruby. Her adorable questioning look was shattering his resolve.

"CRAP!" Reaper shouted.

His sudden outburst made Ruby jump a little bit.

"Listen to me very carefully Ruby, what I am about to tell you does not leave this conversation, on your oath as a Reaper's Warrior. Jack must not know, your friends must not know, and anyone else MUST NOT KNOW...heh, even you're not supposed to know. Do you understand?" Reaper asked in all seriousness.

Ruby simply nodded her head. Reaper shook his and looked at the ground. He kneeled before Ruby to look her in the face.

"Ruby I need a verbal confirmation. I have to know that you understand." Reaper was no longer smiling.

"I understand. What you tell me here stays here. On my oath as a Reaper's Warrior." Ruby said while nodding her head up and down.

Looking content, Reaper stood back up. Her turned and started walking toward the castle, beckoning Ruby to follow him. Walking through the castle, she noted that the inside of the building was remarkably different than that of Beacon. She also noted the skeletal warriors that roamed the interior of the building. The were garbed in strange armor that looked like it would be worn in a desert. The most notable things about them were the massive two handed swords they wielded and the glowing red eyes. They passed through what would have been the main arena at Beacon. Here it was converted to a throne room. More of the skeletal warriors were stationed in the room.

"Who are they?" Ruby asked pointing at the skeletons.

"Carthus swordsmen. They guard the castle interior. I suggest you don't provoke them." Reaper responded. "Also, keep your voice down, as of this moment, only one other living person has ever been allowed in my throne room."

Behind the throne was a single door, guarded by two Carthus swordsmen. With a wave of his hand, the two skeletons stepped aside and opened the door. Beyond it was a massive circular room. In the center of this room were two massive scythes. They were leaning across each other to the point that blades touched the ground. The walls of the room were also decorated. Looking at the decorations, Ruby noted that they family trees. Not entire trees, just a single line taken from each family. Many of the faces had what looked like dried blood in a cross on the face, but many of the faces had a single skull under it. There were also several really short family trees and even some that had only one member and no skull.

"You should feel honored, you are the only person I have ever let into the Hall of Reapers. I don't know why it's called a Hall, it is literally just a single room. Anyway, this room chronicles the familial lines of the Reaper's Warriors." Reaper moved toward the twin scythes.

"Why do so many of these people have skulls under them? And what is with the red crosses?" Ruby asked.

"That just shows dead Warriors. The ones marked by the blood red cross are those that died admirably. And before you ask, the single face trees are of Hollows, put to rest in their prime. However, since you can't kill a Hollow, they aren't technically dead."

Ruby looked around. Each of the faces most definitely had a skull under it. She turned to where Reaper was standing and saw the image above him didn't have a skull under it. The image in the face was of Scythe Hollow. His image was unique in that it was the only one that had a red crown.

Reaper pointed at the image. "The only unwilling Reaper's Warrior, and the only other Reaper's Warrior to still be active today."

Reaper moved to the side. Ruby followed the family tree that started with Scythe, none of the faces looked familiar, until she reached the current bottom of the tree. The last three frames she recognized. Her mom, dad and her.

"You are a Reaper's Warrior through your mother, descendant of the greatest Warrior to ever live. Ruby, Scythe Hollow is a very distant ancestor of yours." Reaper told her.

Ruby could only look on in shock. The sudden realization that her professor, the man who taught the aspects of the Reaper's Warriors, was her ancestor. It didn't seem possible. But, to the Keeper of Death, it clearly was. Reaper gave her a moment to process the information before speaking up.

"Come, we must go. This does not leave this room, understand?" Ruby nodded in confirmation. "Good, now I have to go and meet with Jack. Next time, we will continue working on your powers."

He led her back to the courtyard. Over the crest on the ground he opened a portal through which she stepped through.

"Farewell, Ms. Rose." Reaper said as the portal closed. He was going to have one rough time.

* * *

J (Jack): Glad you could make it on time.

C (Crane): Honestly, Jack, I just want to know why you called this meeting, and why we couldn't have it on Remnant.

J: It concerns the Vytal Festival. I tried convincing Ironwood and Ozpin to postpone or shut down the festival until Icosa is dealt with.

E (Energon): Let me guess, the lads are sharing a blissful ignorance and not shutting the festival down?

J: That would be correct.

R (Reaper): So what's the plan now?

J: We prepare for an ultimate disaster scenario.

C: Do we know when he will attack?

J: I would hazard a guess that he will attack at some point during the festival. But we need to focus on three things if this plan is to work.

E: Three? Normally we only focus on two. The offense and defense of the upcoming war.

R: While that may be true, Energon, We also need to focus on refugees.

E: Come again?

J: The people of Remnant. The survival of this timeline rests on them just as much as it does on anything else. So...any suggestions?

E: …

R: …

C: You don't have a plan? Wow, never thought I'd see the day. I have an idea, though I might be the only one on board for it.

E: What is it lad?

C: We open our homes to them.

R: What do you mean? Is that even possible?

C: Well, it is certainly not impossible. Each of us, except Energon, have a quote/unquote base of operations. If we open them up to a temporary sanctuary, we could protect the citizens of the timeline.

J: That could work, but how do you propose we get them there?

C: Well, I have about 15 Amygdalas currently in the city of Vale, they could grab and transport people to the Hunter's Dream. Doll is there and could comfort them. Maybe I could convince Gehrman to return and help, though that is unlikely.

R: Unfortunately, your Amygdalas wouldn't be able to transport enough people in a reasonable amount of time. I will open the castle, but there is a slight problem with my house.

J: And that would be?

R: Unless you have some experience with death, you will be unable to enter. I fear that I will only be able to provide sanctuary to the Huntsman and Huntresses. In training or otherwise.

J: Very well, then I will open Chronotide to whoever doesn't make it.

E: You are going to open Chronotide? Jack, we are going to need you to fight Icosa. You know more about dealing with him than any of us.

J: I realize that. Energon, I can open a time portal to Chronotide, you might be able to keep the portal open long enough if you can provide the energy to sustain it.

C: Well, that answers refugees. What about defense and offense?

J: Unfortunately, the army of time only has...Bronze. I don't think I can provide much help here.

R: Ruby is progressing along well as a Reaper's Warrior, just like her distant ancestor.. She is probably going to be the only person that is actually well defended through this.

C: And the Hollow.

R: Right, Scythe too, but he doesn't have the abilities of a Reaper's Warrior.

J: Just like her distant ancestor?

R: Indeed, she is progressing just as fast, if not faster than the son of Scythe Hollow. Told her that myself.

J: You what? You...told Ruby Rose...that she was related to Scythe Hollow?

R: Yep. did I say that outloud? Crap. In my defense-

J: I don't care what your defense is, no one but us is supposed to know that! Never mind that now, we have more important matters to discuss. We need some larger attacking/defending force to help against Icosa! WE NEED IDEAS PEOPLE!

E: I could make a sizable attacking force of energy constructs. They wouldn't be that powerful, hey, even the construct that I am directly controlling isn't that powerful, but that could be made up for in numbers.

J: That could work, but the Hedronians would destroy them faster than they could be made. Next.

R: Well, we could take Scythe back to Lothric. The resting Hollows are there and they would still head his call.

J: Good plan, but we need something more immediate.

C: Scythe is going to hate me for this.

R: Doesn't he already?

C: It's a bipolar friendship. One time he'll hate me, the next he could be the best of friends. Anyway, I could re-establish a connection with this world. Rebuild the bridge that was destroyed so long ago. It would allow an army of loyal Amygdalas through.

J: I like these ideas. Unfortunately, we may not have time for them all. What would we need to have done?

E: I can get started immediately. Nothing is required.

R: Lothric would have to be found, I feel that Scythe would be able to remember where it is.

C: I will have to alter the moon here into a Paleblood moon. Nothing else, just weaken the veil between the nightmare and the waking world.

J: Very well, I am going to find the maidens. If they haven't already been killed, we may just stand a chance. Good luck.

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

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	20. CH18: Tournaments

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 18: Tournaments

 _Breaking news in downtown Vale today. During the generally happy time that is the Vytal Festival the police discovered a mutilated body. Upon further investigation it was shown to be that of the notorious criminal Roman Torchwick, hanging from a building in the city. He was taken into custody some nights ago. As of now, officers are trying to get the body down now, but it appears to be held up by strange black strings._

 _Due to the rather gruesome image of his body we will not be showing it. Hold on, I am getting a message…_

 _Citizens of Remnant, I urge you to look away as we have no control of this.! #$# !^(* &^%$%# ! #$^&%^*& )*$ &^$_

 _ **REMNANT! As of today, I have received no message concerning your surrender. I will offer this one more time. Let the marionette Roman Torchwick has become be a message to all of you. If you defy me, you will meet a similar fate. SHUT UP TORCHWICK!**_

 _ **If you fail me, this fate will also be yours. Strung up as a puppet. Doomed to be a spectacle for all of Remnant. I warn you now, surrender and die. War is coming and none of you will survive.**_

* * *

The day was not going well for Jack. First, a rather gruesome message from Icosa had come in. Although, Jack had to clap for the Icosa's creativity. He hadn't seen a human turned into a marionette before. Second, The Vytal Tournament was going on and he had been unable to watch many of the matches. Head had heard that RWBY and JNPR had moved on to the doubles round. Third, he was partnered with Crane in the doubles round. However, A good old fashioned fight would relieve some of the stress of dealing with Icosa and Reaper's stupid "slip of the tongue". The only problem they had was setting up a pseudo-aura. Some fancy powers from Energon solved that problem.

Due to the strange and rather unfortunate circumstances, and the rather sudden disappearance of three of their members, the team that was supposed to fight now had been disqualified. Team GOLD had taken their place, against team CFVY. of course, being a doubles round it was only Yatsuhashi and Coco vs Jack and Crane. Though they were under their pseudonyms.

The team battle had been rather uneventful for Jack. Bronze had done all the work. Jack had blade created for Bronze that when used would make the user enter a raging bloodlust that would not end until the battle was over. Fittingly, the blade was named R.A.G.E. and A.I. were not exempt from the bloodlust, apparently. Unfortunately, some kinks had yet to be worked out as the wielder had trouble distinguishing friend from foe. Surprisingly, Jack was the only person to not be taken down by the raging Bronze. They were told that would move on, but Bronze could not partake in further combat. Thus, Jack and Crane were partnered in the doubles tournament.

"You know, Luke, this should be fun, but are there any stipulations that you want me to follow?" Crane asked.

"No Keeper powers, no range." Jack answered.

"Oh come on, if we're going to handicap them, then we should go all the way!" Crane answered.

Jack sighed. "You know what, you're right."

"I know that." Crane said.

"Revant, I shall remove my eyes." Jack said.

It was one of things he never understood about Jack. Why would he make his mechanical eyes removable? Of course, when he was blind, Jack tended to be more of a nightmare on the battlefield, but that was besides the point.

"I will never understand the strange omnipresent awareness that you have when you're blind." Crane remarked.

"Well, to put it simply, practice. Thousands upon thousands of years of practice my friend. No outside forces or strange temporal magic. Simple spatial awareness, born from many, many years of practice." Jack answered putting his mechanical eyes in a pocket on his jacket.

The sight of an eyeless opponent was both disturbing and questioning to Coco and Yatsuhashi. Without vision of any sort, he would be easier to take down. The arena was set up into four separate sections. One quarter savannah, another forest, a third crystal and geyser formations, and the final ruins.

The call for the match to begin was heard and Crane immediately ran towards them. He appeared to have no plan, but upon reaching Yatsuhashi he slammed into him. The force of the impact sent him flying into the ruined city section f the arena. Crane laughed with glee and followed after him, drawing out a strange bone spike for a blade.

Jack turned his head toward the general direction of Coco. A wicked smile graced his face as he drew his own blade. He had opted not to use the Reaver as it would prove to be too dangerous. Thus a normal uninteresting sword would do.

"And thus, battle begins." He said to himself.

Coco opened fire with her minigun. Jack reacted instantly. Despite not seeing anything, he was able to dodge many of the bullets. He was moving fast, and dove into the forested region of the arena. Coco kept firing into the trees, causing many to fall down after breaking from the constant thudding of bullets. She stopped firing as no movement was to be seen.

"Ahh, don't stop until your opponent is dead!" Jack called as he came barreling at her from the left.

She barely had enough to block the downward swing of the blade. The impact from his blade was enough to stagger her.

"INCOMING!" Crane yelled as he was flying directly at Jack.

Jack braced himself, and with a swift roundhouse to Crane's incoming head, sent him flying back at Yatsuhashi.

"And Revant is down. Never would have thought that friendly fire would equate someone losing their aura." They heard from the loudspeaker.

"Always wanted to do that." Jack scowled then smiled. "Come at me then!"

Coco opened fire on him, and this time he didn't dodge. He simply raised his arm to shield his head as he ran through the rain of fire. The bullets hitting his arm weren't doing much, but there was a visible decrease in his pseudo-aura. As Jack neared Coco, he planted his foot. With an unforeseen twist of his body, Jack slammed the flat of his blade into Coco's side. The strike was strong enough to send her flying. Jack took the pose of a golfer trying to find his ball.

"FORE!" he called as Coco was thrown out of the arena.

Jack was currently sitting at a lovely twenty seven percent aura rating and Yatsuhashi had fifty-two percent left. Jack started circling around the giant swordsman. Yatsuhashi was looking at him, questioning what he was doing. Jack still smiled, and still couldn't see, but that hadn't stopped him before. He had almost completed a circle around Yatsuhashi when he had a brilliant idea. Jack sheathed his blade.

"Come now, surely you know that an unarmed opponent is an easier kill right?" Jack smiled. His mechanical arm beckoning at Yatsuhashi to come at him.

A beckon that was answered. Yatsuhashi expertly swung his blade at Jack. Various moves and techniques were used. Jack simple sidestepped or back stepped away from them all. Jack's mechanical arm was starting to spark. Each dodge was starting to frustrate the much larger swordsman. That smug grin and no eyes should have been hit by now. In a desperate bid to end the battle, Yatsuhashi performed an overhead strike. Jack blocked it with his mechanical arm but was forced to kneel. The smug grin grew wider.

"Game over." Jack remarked. His arm started was crackling with electricity. A massive burst of which was sent through the blade, shocking Yatsuhashi. The intensity of the electrical current drained his aura in a matter of seconds. Jack was declared the winner, a result that was quite shocking.

* * *

Scythe would be the first to admit he was quite disappointed, but he was not in the habit of voicing his complaints. Being unable to attend the Vytal Tournament was quite upsetting at first, but he had to find out anything he could on Icosa. Unfortunately, Torchwick's suspended body offered nothing.

The trip back to Beacon was quite uneventful as well. Upon arriving, he saw Reaper sitting on a bench in the courtyard. Reaper caught his eye and beckoned him forth.

"Scythe, good to see you my friend." Reaper said as Scythe sat next to him. "How are you today?"

"Dispense with the pleasantries, Reaper. Why are you here?" Scythe asked.

"Well, I have something I and, most of my colleagues feel you should know." Reaper responded.

"By most do you mean Jack?"

"Yes. Surprisingly. I already ruined it with one, I feel that the other should know."

"Ruined what?"

"Ruby's heritage. It was supposed to remain a secret, but in my stupidity, and a major slip of the tongue, I revealed it. And now, I shall tell you."

"Well spit it out already."

"Ruby Rose is your descendant."

Scythe looked at Reaper like he was stupid. "Your kidding, right?"

"No. We Keepers don't kid about matters of importance." Reaper said glaring at the hollow.

"So Ruby, i s my heir? The Heir of Hollows? How? I thought no Hollows survived."

"Well, I figured you would know this more than anyone else, but a Hollow can only truly die by decapitation...or mutilating the body beyond use."

"Does that mean...that my subjects from the time I was overthrown still live?"

"Yes, after you were overthrown, I helped to put the Hollows into a death-like sleep and turn your son into a human. To the world they appeared dead. Currently, they reside, asleep still, under Lothric Castle. Wherever it happens to be in this world."

"Why? Why would a Keeper protect anything?"

"Well, as surprising as it is, I actually value the sanctity of sentient or soon to be sentient life, and try to protect what I can. Unlike the others."

Their conversation was cut short as one of the Atlas military aircraft landed in the courtyard. A military specialist that must have been related to Weiss disembarked with two Atlesian knights behind her. Scythe would have not paid any more attention to them had the Atlesian knights not been destroyed. The man who stood behind the smoking husks looked beyond wasted. Scythe couldn't hear what he was saying to the military person, but they seemed to want to fight. His suspicion was confirmed when he drew the blade from his back and the military lady drew a rapier in response. The growing crowd could be put in danger.

"Reaper, if I get fired from this, would you kindly remove my head from my body?" Scythe said, rising from his seat and drawing forth Bloodstain.

"Fired for what?" Reaper asked, but Scythe had already leapt into the fray.

In a poorly conceived attempt to stop the fight, Scythe had jumped in between the two opponents attempting to protect the citizens. The only thing he accomplished however, was drawing each attack from the drunken man and military lady to himself. In turn, he focused on blocking or parrying each attack.

Reaper had joined the crowd, right next to Ruby and Weiss. They were each cheering on one of the fighters. Ruby the drunken man and Weiss the military lady. Scythe heard that their names were Winter and Qrow.

"Please now people…" Scythe spoke, blocking a swing from Qrow's blade. "Let's be civil about this. No one needs to die."

The only response he got was an ice based attack from Winter, and frankly, their attacks were starting to annoy the Hollow.

"Fine then. Let's see how you handle a true force of nature." Scythe mumbled to himself.

He had backed off and Qrow and Winter resumed attacking each other. Scythe would have none of it. He transformed Bloodstain into its scythe form and performed a pyromantic beast roar. The original use of the spell required blood and deflected both bodies and bullets. Without blood, Scythe had learned to improvise, using fire instead. The result was a localised explosion with the bonus of a horrendous sound escaping his mouth.

The effect was instantaneous. Qrow and Winter were both blasted off their feet, the entire crowd backed away from him, and the courtyard was covered in soot and ash. If looks could kill, Winter and Qrow would have died from the glare they were receiving from the ancient Hollow.

"I believe he asked you to be civil."

Scythe turned around and saw Ozpin and Ironwood walking toward them.

"Ozpin." Scythe greeted. "I can clean the ash later."

Scythe started walking toward the school. Reaper had long since vanished and the crowd was watching him as he left. Funny, the last time people looked upon him with such fear and awe was when he usurped the fire and first became the Lord of Hollows. How times have changed.

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

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 **Input command - express_gratitude - Thank you to all who read this, your feedback is much appreciated as is your views. Input command-tip_hat...Command accepted. Input command-Close**

 **Goodbye viewer, Fare thee well.**

 **End Log S.T.K.**


	21. CH19: Paleblood Moon

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 19: Paleblood Moon

Despite being a lord, Scythe was never the kind of person to make those that served clean up his messes. Nevertheless, cleaning the ash and soot from the courtyard took longer than he would have liked. Being as it was evening when he began, night had soon fallen. And with the rising of the moon, came a tiredness that Scythe had not expected.

The night was uneventful, and Scythe slept rather well. His morning was a different story. Waking up, he noticed that the world was covered in a dull red light. A light he knew all too well. Looking out the window, his suspicions were confirmed. The moon had not set, it was larger, and it was crimson in color. A Paleblood moon. Others around the campus were noticing the dimmer lighting as well. That wasn't the problem. Scythe could hear screaming coming from the courtyard.

It didn't take him long to reach the courtyard and find out why. They were seeing eldritch truths of the world, and as such could see the Greater Amygdala clinging to the side of the tower, as well as the other Amygdalas in Vale itself. From the courtyard Scythe could see people mobilizing to take the monsters down. Ironwood's fleet was slowly getting in position to fire on the eldritch monsters.

"General Ironwood. I would advise against firing on my subjects." Scythe heard the loud regal voice of the Keeper of Space call out.

Turning to his right, Scythe saw Crane, in his eldritch form, with a one of the serrated bone spikes that equated to feet at Ironwood's throat. The atlesians around the General were all aiming their weapons Crane, waiting for an order. Scythe made his way over.

"General, I suggest you listen to the King of the Great Ones here. He doesn't make empty threat, and you probably wouldn't be able to hurt him anyway." Scythe interjected.

Before Ironwood could speak, the Amygdala that was clinging to the side of the tower landed behind Crane. The sight of the monstrosity was enough to make the General begrudgingly agree.

The Greater Amygdala walked in its strange lumbering way toward the city.

"Crane, why is there a Paleblood moon?" Scythe asked, a little too calmly.

"I was just on my way to inform you of that. It is set up for a disaster scenario. When Icosa attacks, we need an escape. Hence the Paleblood moon and Amygdalas. We plan on teleporting civilians to the Deam." Crane answered. "Actually that reminds me, I need to go and prepare the Dream."

Crane disappeared in the eldritch mist that was so commonly associated with someone entering the Dream or returning to the waking world. Scythe decided that the Paleblood moon was a matter to be dealt with later. The singles rounds of the Vytal Tournament would be occurring soon and he was not going to miss it. Perhaps, the tournament would cause some of the uproar around the Paleblood and the Amygdala's to die down a little.

* * *

Ozpin watched as the moon rose higher into the sky. The crimson color and size difference from what the moon usually looked like were quite worrying. The appearance of more Amygdalas did nothing to ease said fears.

"You know lad, this is necessary."

Ozpin turned around. Standing behind his desk was Energon.

"How do you mean?"

"The Paleblood moon. It's a bridge. Allows the Amygdalas through."

"But why is it necessary?"

Energon took a seat and stared out the window.

"Do you want my answer or Jack's?"

"Yours will do." Ozpin responded as he sat across from Energon.

"You and Ironwood are being stubborn idiots so we are going to make the citizens panic by preparing for a complete disaster scenario." Energon responded.

"A bit harsh don't you think?"

"No, we don't take kindly to stubborn idiocy. However, we needed a way to save as many people as possible for when Icosa attacks, and this was the best option."

"Can you explain the moon?"

"Paleblood. It will allow for easier transportation of the citizens to the dream for safety. Any more questions. I was told to come and explain the moon to you, Ironwood didn't take too kindly to it."

"Yes actually. If you want the tournament postponed or shut down, why do you participate?"

"Jack's idea. He figured it would relieve some of his stress. And it has. Farewell Ozpin." And Energon left as quickly as he appeared.

To say she was nervous would be a bit of an understatement. In a strange turn of events, Ruby had been chosen to represent her team in the singles round of the Vytal Festival. It was a unanimous vote. When asked why, her team responded that her skill with Crescent Rose would give them an advantage against any opponent. A message to the people of Vale that the Amygdalas weren't dangerous and the moon was nothing to worry about would be a good idea.

* * *

Her training with Reaper had been going quite well. She had finally summoned protection. However, it was weak and took a lot of energy to sustain her hold on it. But Reaper was ecstatic. The summoning of the dead was apparently supposed to take much longer. She was told that she was not to use, unless the need was truly dire.

She entered the arena, blade in hand. Her opponent, the TimeKeeper. She was going to struggle. When he saw her, Jack bowed to Ruby.

"Ms. Rose, I wish you luck." Jack said with a small smile on his face.

Ruby reciprocated the bow and got into a battle stance. Jack removed his eyes and drew forth his blade. Remembering the fight with team CFVY, Ruby knew not to underestimate the blind swordmaster. A wicked smile appeared on his face. The call to begin was heard and Jack started pacing.

"You know, it has been a while since I've fought a Reaper." Jack said as he continued circling Ruby.

Without warning, Ruby rushed forward. Her precious ready to strike. Jack sidestepped the strike and Ruby soared past him. Firing the rifle in her blade, Ruby was able to slow down and reverse her momentum. Jack kept smiling. He brought his blade up to block the strike. With deft movements, and insane reaction speed, Jack parried the strike and threw Ruby off balance.

"Come now, Reaper should have taught you better than that." Jack taunted her as he walked toward her.

Ruby stood back up, thinking how she could beat him. Remembering something important from training usually comes at crucial time. This was a good time for her to remember something important. During their sparring sessions, Reaper would always focus on building up speed. A spinning scythe could essentially become a guillotine.

With no time to lose, Ruby started spinning her blade. As the blade sped up, Ruby started advancing. It was difficult to keep her scythe spinning, but it was working. The momentum could easily be transferred into other movements. Ruby slowly advanced on Jack. His smile had finally disappeared.

Ruby shifted the positioning of her hands to the base of scythe. The shift resulted in her spinning with her blade. The spin brought her into contact with Jack, and launched him to the side of the arena. The impact knocked out a good twenty five percent of his aura. Ruby was feeling pretty good about that. Then he stood up. The look he gave said that he would end her. Made all the more worse by the fact he had no eyes.

He moved fast. Faster than she had yet seen him move. Upon closing the distance, he delivered a flurry of blows that Ruby had trouble blocking or dodging. The power behind each strike she did successfully block still stripped away at her aura. With no better options. Ruby decided her semblance would be a good thing to use. She rushed to other end of the arena and opened fire.

Jack raised his right arm. Somehow, the machine that was his right arm was not even marked by her high caliber bullets. Even under fire he kept advancing. Each bullet, little more than a nuisance. As he got close , Ruby again sped off to the other end of the arena.

When she turned around to open fire on him again, he was not to be found.

"The same trick won't work twice Ms. Rose." Jack said from behind her.

Ruby didn't have time to turn around as Jack smashed the flat of his blade into Ruby's side. Ruby was thrown to the center of the arena and her weapon thrown out of it. The crowd was hushed. Ruby was now disarmed, giving Jack the upper hand. She was slowly getting up, but felt a sword point at her neck.

"It seems I have taken victory Ms. Rose." Jack said. A small smile playing at his lips.

"I was taught, victory is not achieved until one opponent is dead or down for the count." Ruby said.

She surprised Jack by smacking his blade away with her hand. With a little help from her semblance she tackled him. Despite being the Keeper of Time, the move still surprised Jack. He was thrown toward the edge of the arena. Wasting no time, Ruby grabbed Jack's fallen blade and ran at him.

He had gotten back to his feet, but was still in a daze. He looked up in time to see Ruby slam the flat of his blade into the side of his head. The impact threw him out of the arena and gave Ruby the victory. The crowd went wild. Above it all she could hear two very loud voices, bellowing in laughter. Next to her team, she saw Reaper and Crane, holding each other for support as they laughed at their fallen teammate.

Thinking about it though, who wouldn't? After all, one of the most powerful beings in the universe was just beaten in a duel by a little girl. The other Keepers found the situation to be more than a little amusing. If only it wasn't could have lasted.

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	22. Explaining Explosions

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Explaining Explosions

 _ **Ah good. Miss Fall. I need to talk to you.**_

"About what?"

 _ **The plan. The Nameless King is ready. The Hedronians are ready. I have to know if you are ready. The singles round of the Vytal festival has finally begun and our time to strike nears.**_

"I don't even know what my part is. You haven't let me leave this base for-"

 _ **I KNOW! No need to get testy with me. Remember I can gut you like a fish without so much as lifting a finger. Your part is to kill the Fall Maiden, and receive her power.**_

"That was part of the original plan. Is there no difference?"

 _ **Oh, there is. But for it to work, we need you to have that power.**_

"Why?"

 _ **Have I told you how the Hedronians explode? I don't think I have. To simplify it, they explode by releasing all the energy within their bodies in a very rapid amount of time.**_

"Is that not how anything explodes?"

 _ **I guess it is. HOWEVER, Hedronian explosions differ in one minor aspect. It doesn't matter how much energy is in the Hedronian. I could have the same amount as a light bulb and still make an explosion from the large to level Beacon.**_

"And this concerns me...how?"

 _ **Simple, you will help me to make an explosion that will destroy Vale. I find it best if everyone have a basic understanding of how certain explosions work if they are to help with them. You may go, prepare for departure. We leave soon.**_

 _ **And she's gone. Guard, get ready, we are going to need you to take hold of her when the time comes.**_

" _Yes sir. Sir may I ask a question?"_

 _ **You just did, but what do you want to know?**_

" _What_ _is_ _your plan with her?"_

 _ **My plan is for her to go out in a blaze of glory. You know that darkanium doesn't react well with other powers right.**_

" _Right sir."_

 _ **Well, how do you think the fires of darkness would react with the powers of the fall maiden?**_

" _A larger explosion?"_

 _ **Indeed. Innndeed. With those powers coursing through her body, she would become the prime candidate for a massive Hedronian explosion.**_

" _But she is not Hedronian, sir."_

 _ **She isn't...yet. However, I can force a Hedronian explosion on anything. Assuming of course that there is something for the darkanium to react with. Generally, it react with other powers. Force the darkness inside them, watch as they burn…**_

" _Sir? Is everything alright?"_

 _ **A living hell for a few brief moments… The darkness rushing through her veins… Destroying all that light… Reacting and gaining from the powers of the maiden...It burns brighter and brighter as more darkness enters. The flames start to burn. The hands catch and the fire spreads. Consuming her entire body. Burning higher and with more power...Until...her body can't take the strain. All the energy gets released, and the power creates a force of devastation, strong enough to destroy everything.**_

" _Sir?"_

 _ **What? Sorry, I spaced out for a moment. You have a question.**_

" _Statement actually. The King has made his move."_

 _ **Excellent, come. We must gather the army.**_

" _Sir?"_

 _ **It's time to go to war. Gather the army, bring me Fall. We leave IMMEDIATELY!**_

" _Right away, SIR!"_

 _ **Yes...It's time to go to war. Beware Remnant. It's time for Darkness to fall upon your people, your kingdoms...your spirit.**_

 _ **Yes indeed. Darkness will fall and with it this timeline will come to a screeching halt as every living being sees and knows the evil that will rule.**_

 _ **FOR WE ARE THE DARK, WE ARE ONE!  
** "WE ARE THE DARK, WE ARE ONE!_  
 _"WE ARE THE DARK, WE ARE ONE!_

 _ **I AM THE DARK. I HAVE WON!**_

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	23. CH20: The Disaster Scenario

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 20: Disaster Scenario

The arena shook from the impact. Looking up the crowds saw what they thought to be the largest Nevermore on the planet. Scythe knew better. How could he forget the shape and terror that was the king of the storm. The massive stormdrake looked rather different than the last time Scythe had seen it. For one, it was completely black, and it had merely landed on top of the arena.

The crowds were panicking. People were rushing to the exits, trying to escape the monster above them. The Keepers had armed themselves. They were yelling orders at each other and at the people, but Scythe wasn't listening.

The loud noise of microphone feedback and static on the viewscreen above the arena caught the attention of everyone. The image on the screen was of Beacon's courtyard. Icosa Hedron standing there in all his darkened glory. Cinder Fall and two Hedronians were immediately behind him.

 _ **GREETINGS ONE AND ALL! I WELCOME ALL OF REMNANT TO THE MAIN EVENT! THE END OF THE WORLD IS NIGH! ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE OUR REIGNING CHAMPION! THE NAMELESS KING AND HIS FAITHFUL STORMDRAKE! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I WILL BE YOUR HOST THIS EVENING AS YOU SIT BACK AND DIE! I AM ICOSA HEDRON, AND I CALL FOR YOU TO BEGIN! BREACH THE WALLS, LAY WASTE TO THE LAND, EXECUTE THE PEOPLE! RAZE THE CITY TO THE GROUND!**_

The screen blinked off and the King of the Storm started attacking the shielded roof of the coliseum. In a matter of seconds, the shield on top of the coliseum had shattered and both kings landed in the middle of the arena. Without a word spoken, anyone who was armed began attacking. They stood no chance. The King of the Storm took flight and unleashed an inferno. The quick acting of the Keepers was enough to protect the civilians. Scythe was not so lucky. He was caught in fire and snapped out of his daze. This was his fight.

When the blazing inferno died down Scythe rose to his feet and leapt into the arena. With the authority and voice of king, he made an order.

"JACK, take the Keepers and get the civilians to safety! HUNTSMEN, HUNTRESSES, flee, help the Keepers!" Scythe ordered.

"What about you!? You can't beat this thing!" Ruby called as the Keepers started herding people to the exits.

"Don't worry about me, young Rose." Scythe said, a familiar cocky smile gracing his face. "Besides, don't you know. THIS IS MY FIGHT, I WILL PROTECT MY PEOPLE AND MY FAMILY! FOR I AM THE LORD OF HOLLOWS!"

With Scythe's bellow finished, he ran at the King of the Storm, Bloodstain ready to strike. The Nameless King raised his sword spear and charged a lightning strike. The slamming of the blade into the ground created a large lightning explosion, which Scythe was barely able to dodge. Unfortunately for them, it left the King of the Storm open for attack. Scythe ran in and started slashing away at the dragon's head. It didn't appear to be doing anything.

The recovery was quicker, but Scythe would not let up. As soon as the King of the Storm was standing, it took to the skies and grabbed Scythe in one of its massive claws. They flew out toward the city, with Scythe struggling to free himself. Looking out, to his horror, the city was burning. The massive Hedronian Dark Fiends had breached the walls of the city. Hedronians and Grimm were rushing through and attacking the innocents. The only upside was the flashes of light and bangs of guns that could be assumed to be the Keepers and the Huntsmen and Huntresses. There were also several Amygdalas squaring off against the Dark Fiends. The Amygdalas were winning.

The King of the Storm was going in for a passing attack. It was Scythe's only chance. The stormdrake lowered its head to breath its cursed fire upon the city. Scythe, with some painful twisting and a death grip on Bloodstain, wreathed the blade in the ethereal glow of a phantasm shell. The added arcane magic, and inhuman strength proved to be both an advantage and disadvantage to Scythe's situation. The blade successfully chopped off the dragons head, but with nothing controlling it, the body started to dissolve as well.

Well, now Scythe knew why the dragon and king were different. They had been Hedronized, and now they were going to hit the ground at a very high speed. Sometimes, Scythe really hated his existence.

* * *

This was perfect. The Nameless King had Scythe distracted. The Keepers were busy with protecting the city. The school was mostly unprotected. The few that were there were easily taken care of. They had a mission. The vault under the school. The power of the fall maiden was calling to him. But first, the Atlesian fleet needed to be taken care of.

 _ **Take a look Cinder, I want you to witness the destruction of an army! Allow you and the rest of this planet to see how powerless they truly are.**_

Icosa willed forth his power. The seas under the Atlesian fleet looked like they were boiling and spinning. With the gathering of his power, a massive spire burst forth from the waters, and rose into the skies. At the zenith of its rise, black spires of darkanium burst forth from the central spire, each one impaling an Atlas ship. The darkanium spires continued to spread throughout each ship, blowing them up from the inside. As the ships started to list, more of the blackened spires would burst forth from the front of the ships. In a matter of seconds, the entirety of the Atlesian fleet had been destroyed, suspended above the waters on a single darkanium spire.

 _ **Come my pet, we have a date with a dying power.**_

Icosa smiled evilly as he motioned the two Hedronians behind him to escort to follow. As they walked through the school, Icosa would occasionally raise one of his hands and will forth his power. Every time he did, another spire would burst from the ground or the walls. Every single spires' sole purpose was destruction. Many of them impaling the students, unlucky enough to still be in the building.

It did not take long for them to reach the elevator. Forcing it open, Icosa merely grabbed Cinder and jumped down the shaft. Landing on top of the car did nothing more than dent the elevator. Again he forced his way into it. Upon opening the doors, they found themselves in a long vaulted corridor. At the far end of the room stood a machine with two capsules. A power transfer machine. In one of them, the dying fall maiden. In front of them, Ozpin.

 _ **Cinder, do kindly kill the fall maiden, Ozpin is not to be harmed.**_

Icosa raised his hand yet again. This time pointing it at the headmaster. Beams of dark purple energy flew out toward Ozpin. They impacted with him, but he was fine, a green shield surrounding him. Icosa simled.

 _ **So, you think a shield will stop the darkness?**_

"It will hold you off long enough." Ozpin stated defiantly.

 _ **Oh… I do believe you are quite mistaken, headmaster.**_

Icosa willed forth the darkanium again, this time as black strings. Ozpin prepared to defend, but the strings wrapped around his body, pinning his arms to his sides and wrapping him in a black cocoon. Cinder walked toward the fall maiden as the headmaster was pulled toward The Dark. He was smiling quite sinisterly. Cinder was hesitant, and that would not stand for Icosa.

 _ **I SAID, KILL HER!**_

Icosa sent forth a spear made of the darkanium right into the heart of the fall maiden. She gasped and looked in fear for a brief second. Then with a final breath, the fall maiden fell dead and the power flew into Cinder Fall. With the power flowing through her veins, Cinder started to laugh with a sinister joy, until Icosa spoke again.

 _ **Seize her.**_

The two guarding Hedronians rushed forward. Cinder tried to fend them off, but the fire magic of the fall maiden was ineffective. The two grabbed her hands and wrapped them in a darkanium cocoon. Icosa walked forward, his right hand blazing with evil purple flames.

 _ **And thus, the queen is in place. A sacrifice to be made. Tell me, Cinder Fall, do you know who I am?**_

Icosa slammed his fist into Cinder's ribcage and grabbed her heart. The blinding burning pain was excruciating. Icosa appeared to be relishing in it. With his hand still on heart, he started pumping it manually. With each beat, the pain grew and spread. Icosa slowly removed is hand. Upon exiting her chest cavity, she noticed that instead of wreathed in purple flames, it was now dripping with her blood. He smiled, content that his gruesome work was finished.

 _ **And now the flames will spread through your body. When they can no longer be contained, the Hedronians beside you will burn you more. The reaction of the fire with the power of the fall maiden will destroy the city. If you survive, which I highly doubt you will, I might make you a general in my army. Take her to the city. It will do no good here.**_

" _Yes Lord Hedron."_

The two guards ran off. Icosa went back to the elevator, Ozpin with him still in the darkanium cocoon. Once inside, Icosa hit the button for Ozpin's office. Ozpin started speaking.

"You can't do this. There are innocent people down there."

 _ **Actually, Ozzy, I can. I am. And I will.**_

"What about the people?"

 _ **Kind of why I am doing this. The goal is to crush my enemies, any survivors, will invariably lead to resistance. Destroy this planet's defense and most famous city, and you cripple their spirits. I just want to give you a front row seat.**_

The elevator dinged. The stepped out, Ozpin still bound. Icosa willed forth his power yet again, and blew the top off the tower. Leaving nothing more than the shattered windows and the floor of Ozpin's office. The city was alight. The flames illuminating the Dark Fiends. Unfortunately, the Amygdalas were actually succeeding against the Dark Fiends, along with some help form their king. The King of the Storm could even be seen flying around. Until he started falling. No matter, the end would happen soon.

* * *

Scythe's order was powerful, almost as if it had to be followed. Even the Keepers were not ones to resist. Herding people out of the coliseum was not easy. Unfortunately, the city had already been breached. Dark Fiends had destroyed the walls in several places. Jack could even see the ships of the Atlesian Fleet be taken down by a single spire of darkanium. Dad blast it, Icosa was present for this attack.

"Crane! Order the Amygdalas to get everyone they can to the dream, and help them hold off the Dark Fiends!"

Crane smiled at Jack, before jumping off the side of the Coliseum. In that single instant, he changed to his true Great One form and rushed into the fray. Dark Fiends wouldn't stand a chance.

"Reaper, go and protect the Huntsmen and Huntresses! We will need them soon! Take your charge with you!"

Reaper simply nodded, before gesturing to Ruby. The two of them ran off toward the academy. Jack looked back at the people, he noticed their looks of fright. Without hesitation, he started to gather his own temporal energy. White energy started swirling on the ground as Jack started the formation of a time portal.

"Energon, hold the portal open! I have to find Icosa! When the people are through, take it to more!"

Energon nodded before turning toward the portal. He started forcing his own green energy into the portal. It stabilized and gained a lovely green tint to it. Jack drew forth one of his swords and was about to call out to the people, when the black shape of the dragon that attacked the coliseum flew off and into the darkness. Shaking himself out of his stupor, Jack spoke to the terrified people.

"Listen up people! If you wish to get to safety, enter the portal that Energon is holding open! Beyond it, you will find sanctuary!" Jack yelled.

The people stared for a second, before Jack jumped off the coliseum himself. After he left, they started filing toward the swirling time portal. Jack, however, flew off toward Beacon. Landing in the courtyard, he found Reaper standing there next to Ruby, both of them looking up. The darkness was gathering at the top of the tower.

"Reaper, did you get everyone out of the building?"

"Yes, but there are still more in the city!"

"Great, go. I will handle Icosa!"

Reaper turned toward Ruby. She was still staring up at the top of the tower, as its top had just been blown off. Jack took off and flew up the tower at lightning speed. Reaper muttered an apology to Ruby before grabbing her and throwing her through the portal he had created to his home. Reaper turned and went on his toward the city.

On top of the destroyed tower, Jack found Icosa. He was standing in the center of what was once Ozpin's office. Behind him was Ozpin, bound in a cocoon of darkanium. Icosa was simply smiling at Jack.

 _ **AH, the TimeKeeper. How glad I am that you could see my glorious return. I really must say, tis good to see ya Jackie.**_

Icosa smiled. Before turning toward the city. A feeling of apprehension overcame Jack as Icosa put his arm on Jack's shoulder.

 _ **Glorious night is it not? You know Jack, I really don't like opponents that don't understand when they're beaten. You should know, this city will burn, just like you and the rest of your bloody Keepers. So go and save them, you have five minutes.**_

Icosa started laughing, before pushing Jack off the tower. Of course, falling would do nothing, but it got him away from Ozpin. Icosa could already see him rushing off to get the Keepers out of the city. It would be pointless. He would still win.

* * *

Having a dragon land on top of you is not pleasant. Falling from said dragon and hitting the ground is also not pleasant. Put those together, and you get an idea of what Scythe has gone through. His left leg had been pinned under the dragon. He could feel his bones being nothing more than dust.

The Nameless King had dismounted from his now dead stormdrake. He was marching toward Scythe, sword-spear ready to impale the fallen lord. Scythe pulled himself out from under the remains of the dragon. The king was standing over him, a look of hatred on his hedronized face.

Both were distracted by a purple glow coming from behind them. Two Hedronians were holding something on fire. That something was burning a strange combination of purple and orange flames. One of the two Hedronians spoke to the Nameless King.

" _Lord Hedron wants you to get out of the city! The payload goes off in less than five minutes!"_ the Hedronian said with urgency.

The Nameless King took one last look at Scythe and smirked at him before turning toward the dragon. He stabbed his sword-spear into the great beast, absorbing its soul before dashing off into the night. Looking up, Scythe could see the Dark Fiends fleeing the city. The Amygdalas could also be seen, grabbing as many people as they could and disappearing. He thought he heard the shrill voice of Weiss Schnee demanding that it let her go. It was to no avail as the Amygdala slowly faded out of existence with a bunch of people in its hands.

The payload, as they called it, had started screaming. It bloodcurdling scream could be heard by the entire planet. The end was nigh. There was no way for Scythe to escape. Even he could move, the blast would catch him long before he got out of the city. He sighed, and struggled to stand. If he was going to die, he would face his wish with dignity.

"This isn't the end. I will survive. I always do." Scythe said, mostly to calm himself as he leaned against the ruined wall of one of the buildings.

The fire from the payload turned black and for one brief instant, it went out. A sliver of hope built up in Scythe before one last scream was heard. Then all hell broke loose.

* * *

The screaming of Cinder was wonderful noise to what passed for Icosa's ears. He had long since stopped laughing and had reached for Ozpin. He held him by his head, no longer in the cocoon but no weapon, over the edge of the tower.

 _ **And now the world will watch as its greatest kingdom is consumed by the fires of The Dark. How does it feel to know how much you failed, Ozpin?**_

Ozpin said nothing. A bright flash of purple could be seen from the city. Followed closely by the sound of the explosion. A massive dome of purple and orange fire, followed by the black darkanium was spreading from the city. A few unlucky Amygdalas were caught in the blast.

 _ **You should feel honored, headmaster. You were defeated by the greatest evil in the known universe. And now your precious city will burn.**_

The fire had reached the walls, and decimated them in seconds. Nothing could be seen beyond the darkanium but blackness. The heat from the flame could be felt from their position on top of Beacon tower. Ozpin could feel it burning. It wasn't just burning his physical body. He could feel burning his soul and purging his mind. Icosa could feel the skin and muscle on Ozpin's head burning and melting off. The pain he was going through was quite euphoric to him. How he wished it could have lasted.

 _ **And now with Vale destroyed, Atlas armyless, and Remnant reeling from the shock of its greatest city brought to ruin, I will move on. Remnant will fall and with this planet's destruction, time will fall with it.**_

Icosa turned his arm not holding Ozpin's body into a blade and with one swift stroke, decapitated the remains of the headmaster.

 _ **I think I'll keep you as a trophy.**_

He turned and opened a portal of darkanium behind him. It would not do to be destroyed by his own explosion, right? And with that, Icosa fell through the portal to who knows where as the blast reached the tower of what was Remnant's Shining Beacon.

He is...The Dark…  
He...has...won.

Have mercy on us all.

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	24. CH21: A City in Ruin

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 21: A City in Ruin

The sky was black. Not with smoke or the night, just black. Darkness had fallen on Remnant and they were out scouring the ruins of the city. Of course, no time for celebration as Lord Hedron wanted them all looking for something. The leaders of each squad were told what to look for, but most of them had come up empty.

" _Sir, what was it Lord Hedron asked us to find again?"_ one of them asked.

" _He wants us to be on the lookout for any rubble that is large and structurally sound, the corpses of anything killed in the blast, and the body of the Hollow."_ the leader of their squad answered.

Their group was assigned to search ground zero. Why the humans called the point of detonation ground zero was beyond them, but they had a mission to carry out.

" _Check it out! I found someone Lord Hedron might be interested in!"_ Another of the group called out.

It held up half of a charred corpse. The main distinguishing mark of said corpse was a fist sized hole in its chest. They recognized the handiwork of their lord. The payload had been found. Lord Hedron would appreciate that. Another interesting note of the corpse were the fingers. They were twitching. This corpse still had some life. Lord Hedron would really be interested in that. The leader of the group was about to walk over and inspect the corpse, when a pile of rubble shifted.

Normally, this wouldn't mean anything, but the remains of the city once known as Vale had been lifless and unmoving after it was leveled. It ordered the another of the group, the fourth, and the last member to inspect. For a brief second, they could have sworn they saw the rubble glow blue.

Unfortunately for them, there was nothing. It must have been a shift in the rubble. The leader of the group ordered them to return to their search. Other groups around the ruin were doing the same thing, but the level of destruction wrought upon the city was staggering. The academy that was once Beacon was now the center for Lord Hedron's operation in Remnant. The tower that once held the headmasters office had been repurposed. It now held a temporary throne for Lord Hedron. The roof had been rebuilt, but the green beacon had been replaced with a torch of purple darkanium fire. The building itself had been made a little more structurally sound, and the darkanium spire in the courtyard had been remade into a monument dedicated to the glory of Lord Hedron.

The city was mostly destroyed. Ground zero was nothing more than a massive crater filled with rubble and some bones. The rest of the city faired little better. The walls were undamaged except where the city had been breached. Buildings that weren't completely leveled were still mostly destroyed. Darkanium fires burned throughout the city.

The most notable additions to the city were the massive corpses. It was sad when it happened, but several of the dark fiends had been destroyed in the attack. However, their sacrifices weren't in vain. The city had multiple corpses of the Great Ones. A grand total of seven Amygdalas were taken down, compared to the three dark fiends.

A reflection of the beacons firelight caught one of the group's eyes. It was coming from a pile of rubble. It went over to inspect, and found something that might please Lord Hedron.

" _Sir, I think I found something."_ it called to its leader.

The leader went to investigate the find. It beckoned the rest of the group over to the location.

" _Indeed you did. Lord Hedron will displeased that we didn't find the body, but these might put the mind at ease."_ The leader stated.

It stooped down to pick up what had been found. A blade. Not just any blade, but the blade of a scythe, and the separated shaft of said scythe. The intricate markings of the blade garnered attention, but the most striking feature of the blade was the damage it had sustained. Rather, the fact that it was completely undamaged. The blade didn't look very special, but power could definitely be felt in the blade. The scythe of Scythe Hollow. There was no body, but Lord Hedron would be pleased with blade itself. At least, they hoped so.

The crater was scoured a few more times, but the Hollow wasn't found. The time to report had come, and Lord Hedron wasn't known for his patience. The group gathered the corpses and weapon, before leaving the crater to Hedron's Tower.

* * *

The Hedronians had left. Scythe let out a sigh of relief, but he wasn't out of the woods yet...or city. Icosa was searching for him. The reason was beyond Scythe's knowledge. By sheer luck, they hadn't found him. They did find Bloodstain, but he had more important matters right now. His other weapons had been lost in the explosion, and he was probably assumed dead. Fortunately, his satchel was still on his person. Thinking now, he wondered how he had survived. Even a hollow shouldn't have been able to survive a point blank explosion of what amounted to a small nuclear bomb. It even killed several Amygdalas, so why not him. At least most of the citizens had found sanctuary, thanks to the Keepers.

Speaking of which, where were they? Scythe knew they were the best defense against Icosa, even if that defense barely stood a chance. However, there was no time to dwell on that problem right now. Scythe needed to escape the ruined city without being seen. At the moment he stood no chance against the Hedronians. He was glad to know that his weapons survived. Even if he had no clue where most of them were. Right now he needed to move.

Scythe slowly pulled himself out of the pile of rubble he had hidden himself under. Thank goodness for the chameleon spell. Upon extricating himself from the pile of rubble, Scythe noticed how dark it was, and he didn't have a torch. Willing forth his pyromancy, Scythe lit up his hand. With the light from the fire illuminating the crater, Scythe could see. The flickering light of the fire in his hand provided better light than that of the beacon that Icosa had set up. The added light from his hand allowed him to search for his weapons. They Hedronians had only found Bloodstain.

It took a few minutes of riffling through the rubble before he found anything. He found three of his blades. The Frostbit and Blazing Judgement. Three swords he favored in his youth, but had taken a back seat to Bloodstain. He would need to get acquainted with his swords, but in time he would have his skill back. A pleasant surprise for him was the pistol he found buried with his blades. Lifting the weapon, he instantly recognized his pistol. Firework was a good weapon. He just didn't like using it combat. Duels with firearms just weren't as fun as with swords.

The voices of approaching Hedronians brought Scythe out of his musings. Sheathing his blades and extinguishing his pyromantic flame, Scythe ducked into an alley. The Hedronians did not see him as he hurried away from the crater. When he was a far enough distance away, he realized that he was not going to get out of the city without some help. Fortunately he had a giant serpent named tNepres to help him. Unfortunately, he had a giant serpent named tNepres to help him. The snake would get him out of the city, but it would likely gather the attention of the Hedronians, and he had very little control over the massive snake as it was. However, snake surfing was his best option out of Vale's remains.

He pulled the old rusted whistle that could be used to summon tNepres. The single shrill note was loud, and he heard the Hedronians moving in in his position. A pool of blood appeared in the ruined alley and tNepres head emerged. Scythe sincerely hoped this would work.

"I know you can't totally understand me, but we need to get out of this city." Scythe spoke to the serpent, desperately hoping it would understand.

tNepres regarded Scythe for a few seconds with what could be assumed as hunger. It stared at him before slithering its way out of the bloody portal and through the streets in the general direction of the walls. Assuming the snake understood what he wanted, Scythe climbed onto the massive reptile. The Hedronians had seen tNepres, but not Scythe, and as such were moving out of the serpent's way. They had their own jobs after all.

Moving through the city, Scythe noticed an astounding lack of Grimm. He not seen a single one of the creatures of darkness since the city was breached. As they moved through the streets, his apprehension increased. Scythe could even feel the fear of his giant snake friend.

" _There he is! It's the Hollow! Lord Hedron wants his head, dead or alive!"_

"tNepres, we might want to speed up!" Scythe called to the serpent.

tNepres increased his speed, but it was all for not. Hedronians were rushing at them from all sides. Some had jumped on the serpent's back to attack Scythe. He willed forth his pyromancy and drew Frostbite. The combination of fire and ice would hopefully be enough to protect him until they exited the city.

A Hedronian landed behind him. Scythe threw a fireball at it and rushed the being. The fireball struck home, and the Hedronian was thrown off the back of the serpent. Another had turned its arm into a black blade and ran at Scythe. He countered the wild swing with Frostbite. The freezing effects of the blade slowed the Hedronian down. A swift kick to the gut sent him flying back into three others that were sent off the back of the serpent.

He felt heat on his back and turned around. One of the Hedronians had ignited. He was going to blow if Scythe didn't act fast. Scythe ran at the burning Hedronian and thrust the blade through the chest where the heart should be. The Hedronian shuddered before slowly turning solid. The freezing effect of the Irithyll straight sword apparently worked wonders on the Hedronians. When it was solid, Scythe grabbed it and threw the ice statue at the Hedronians on the tail end of tNepres.

The walls were in sight. Buildings, Hedronians and tNepres' head rushed by in a blur. Scythe did a double take. tNepres had been beheaded. He turned toward the front of his massive serpent, and saw a Hedronian standing just behind where the head once was, a wicked grin plastered on his face. He laughed at Scythe before receiving a fireball to his head. The snake's body stopped just short of the breach in the walls, but it was close enough.

Scythe leapt off the serpent and sprinted at the walls. Hedronians were closing in but he exited the breach. Without a moment's hesitation, Scythe turned back to the walls, and prepared to use a pyromancy he had sworn never to use. He will the pyromantic flame to both his hand and concentrated, it slowly turned from a warm and inviting flicking orange and red, to a sinister and evil black and white. He thrust the fire into the ground and a snake of black flame rushed towards the hole in the wall. The fire filled the breach, but the Hedronians seemed to pay it no mind at first as the ran through. Unfortunately for them, the fire took hold of their bodies and drained whatever passed for a life in their bodies. Scythe felt invigorated as the drain transferred their life into him, but he still had to flee.

Scythe turned on his heel and ran into the forest. There was only one place he could go. Reaper did tell him that Hollows slept in Lothric, it stood to reason that his old capital would still stand. The thought crossed his mind that he had no clue where he was in relation to Lothric, but he had to get away from Vale and Icosa, so he just ran.

* * *

" _Lord Hedron, I regret to inform you that we were unable to find the body of the Hollow."_

 _ **And, pray tell, why is it that you tell me this WHEN THE REST OF THE ARMY WAS CHASING HIM THROUGH THE CITY!**_

" _I am sorry sir, but I don't know. We did find some other things of interest."_

 _ **You better hope they are worth my time. I am very busy right now.**_

" _We found the payload, somehow alive...sir."_

 _ **Fall survived? Count yourself lucky, that is interesting. What else did you find.**_

" _This, sir."_

 _ **The Hollow's scythe. Well, count yourself lucky. That is interesting. You may leave. Send the "payload" up when you reach the ground.**_

" _If I may sir?"_

 _ **Go ahead.**_

" _How did they survive?"_

 _ **I would assume that Fall survived by sheer force of will. The rapid hedronization of an explosion like that could have allowed her to survive, albeit damage. As for the Hollow, I have no clue. You are dismissed, take the weapon and find out what material it is made of. It could prove useful later on. AND FIND ME THAT HOLLOW!**_

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

 **Data Log DF030 Information-Please leave constructive criticism. Updates to the archives take it into account, and it is greatly appreciated.**

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	25. CH22: Sanctuary

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 22: Sanctuary

The light was blinding. Looking around, the sky was bright, the tombstones were clean and clouds stretched along the ground as far as the eye could see. None of that seemed right. Weiss stood up and looked around. The first thing she realized is that she seemed to be on some sort of island. All around were spires and clouds. Nothing else could be seen in the endless abyss that stretched on from horizon to horizon.

Another thing she noticed, there were quite a few people present. Citizens of Vale, some atlesian soldiers, and a few Huntsmen and Huntresses. None of the people seemed to have any idea what was going on. There was one person who seemed out of place. She wore clothes that didn't match with any style from any of the kingdoms. Weiss walked over to her. She looked at Weiss.

"Hello, good hunter. I am a doll, here in this dream to look after you. How may I help?" Her voice was soft and almost robotic.

Weiss noticed that her hands appeared to be segmented. Up close she almost looked to made of plastic.

"Where are we?" Weiss asked. "What's going on?" A few others had gathered to hear the answers as well.

"We are in the Hunter's Dream. A place of rest and peace for any hunters. Do you know what happened to the Good Hun-Hollow? He asked me not to call him a hunter." The doll responded.

"Scythe? I don't know what happened to him. I was grabbed by one of the...monsters inhabiting the city. Now why are we here?"

"That is not for me to tell you. I do not know, The Greatest One does. He should be here soon." The doll answered before sitting down on the rocks behind her.

The people were looking around expectantly. They didn't know who The Greatest One was, buthe seemed to be important. Weiss thought on it. The only person who could possibly be The Greatest One was Crane. But she had lost sight of him along with the other Keepers when the city was breached. Thinking about it, she had no clue what had happened in Vale or with Icosa. So many questions with no one to answer them.

"Citizens of Remnant" A voice called out. "There is no need to be alarmed, you are safe."

The terrifying figure of Hannible Crane appeared over the church. The people started to panic. If he had eyes, he would have rolled them.

"Calm down people, I mean no harm." He called and the people listened. Inside they were freaking out, but they appeared calm. "You have been brought here for your safety."

"What do you mean? How can we be safe when you brought us here against our will!? We should be fighting to protect the city!" One of the Huntsmen yelled.

"If I had not commanded the Amygdalas to bring as many people to the dream as possible, then you would all be dead. Vale has been destroyed, and Icosa has set up shop in Beacon's remains. The other keepers saved who they could, but the city was lost."

At that revelation, people started freaking out. The entire population in the dream erupted into only people not losing their minds were Crane, the doll, and Weiss. Crane, looked out at the people and saw this. He beckoned Weiss over to him.

"It seems we need your help." Crane told her.

"With what?"

"Icosa."

"How can we help? From what I have seen, the four of you have near unlimited power and Icosa goes far beyond even that."

"Our power is not limitless. And neither does Icosa." Crane appeared to be deep in thought. "Your friend Ruby was able to beat Jack in a one on one duel. A very rare occurrence indeed. The tombstones are the key to exit. I had to jury rig a lantern in the waking world in preparation for this event. Good luck."

Weiss looked over at the tombstones. They didn't look all that special, but one of them was different. Stepping up to it, Weiss felt like her mind was being wrenched from her body, before the world disappeared in a blue mist.

* * *

Not many people enjoy being forced to do something. However, sometimes, there is no way to fight back against being forced to do something. Such as being forced through a door by a massive throng of people...or in the case of Yang and Blake, a time portal.

It hadn't taken long for the people to start rushing the portal when they heard that it would lead to safety. Yang and Blake had just been forced through with the crowd. Sometimes, utter panic can cause people to not think well.

Upon entering the portal, they saw nothing but a swirling white vortex. It was actually quite blinding. The weirdest part of the whole experience was the force they felt. The best to describe it would be to say that they felt like they were falling forward. Not falling to the ground. It was as if their bodies were being pulled forward at insane speeds, but they felt like they were falling.

This intense feeling lasted for what seemed like hours, though it was little more than a few minutes. Then they began slowing down. The white vortex disappeared and they were unceremoniously thrown onto a platform of some kind. Citizens from Vale were falling through the portal and landing around them. They got to their feet and noticed the strange place they had landed.

They were in a massive station of some kind. The outer wall had what appeared to be windows every so often. But outside, there was nothing except the occasional massive rocks that would be illuminated by the lights outside. If it was supposed to be the night sky, well there were no stars.

The clear panels also appeared to be on the center of the platform they were on. Yang decided to look down to see what was below them. Upon doing so, she understood Jaune's motion sickness. Looking down she saw a maze of catwalks, platforms, pillars, odd machines and some sort a spinning core at the center. Upon closer inspection, halfway to the core, Yang saw a strange refraction of light. It appeared that there was some sort of shell below them, it too was spinning, but the opposite direction of the central core. The combination of the motion and height was enough to give her some motion sickness.

Yang moved rather rapidly away from the transparent panel in the center of the platform. She saw Blake staring rather intently at one of the railings. She moved over to see what had vested her interest. Looking at the railing, she noticed that the railings were made of four different metals. The most prominent was a black metal that didn't look familiar. Yet Yang felt she had seen it before. The other three metals that spiraled around the railing were copper, silver and gold.

"Interesting." Blake said still looking at the railing.

"What is so interesting?" Yang asked.

"This entire structure appears to be made of these four metals. Who has that kind of money and where are we?" Blake said, mostly to herself.

"Sir, I don't care if the Timekeeper ordered it himself, but we have a schedule to keep, and the outer shell is in need of maintenance!"

"I KNOW IT BLOODY NEEDS REPAIRS BUT I DON'T CARE! Jack gave the order to keep out of this area until he returns, I am just enforcing his command!"

The loud argument had gathered the attention of a large number of the people. Blake and Yang immediately recognized Bronze, although his body was no longer completely bronze. The person next to him was different. He looked exactly like Bronze, except he was the color of rusting iron. Behind them was what appeared to be fifty more that looked like Bronze, except silver in color and armed to the teeth.

"Will you two stop arguing for once?" The exasperated voice of Jack Stone called out. He walked out of the crowd. Energon was following behind, but he looked weary. "General, escort the civilians to where they'll be staying. Foreman, you can finish your repairs on the outer shell when the situation with the civilians has been dealt with."

"Yes sir." Bronze and the forman answered to their superior.

The forman left on the catwalk that he had come from. Bronze stood in front of the crowd before appearing to grab one of the pillars next to him. He started speaking and his voice was carried throughout the crowd.

"Citizens of Remnant. I am General Bronze. I will be escorting you to your temporary living quarters and explaining where you are, why you are here, and what you can do until the situation on Remnant is dealt with. Please, follow me."

He turned and started walking down the catwalk with almost all of the citizens of Remnant following him. Yang and Blake stayed behind. They wanted to get their answers straight from Jack himself. They were about to walk up and ask him questions when Energon doubled over.

"Jack, I can't hold this body anymore." Energon growled out.

"I realize that, release your hold and I will answer their questions." Jack responded calmly.

Energon nodded. He started to glow bright green before the bang was heard and Energon was gone. Yang panicked.

"What happened to him?" She asked frantically.

Jack looked at them before answering. "He released his hold on that body. Don't worry, he didn't die. Energon can't die. The bodies that you have seen him in have been nothing more than constructs of pure energy that he controls. His real body is...elsewhere. I believe you have questions."

"Yeah, where the heck are we?" Yang asked putting a hand on her hip and calming down.

"We are at my home, Chronotide. A space station that exists at the end of time...somehow. I honestly have no clue how. I assume your next question is why, and the answer to that is sanctuary. Crane and Reaper opened their realms/homes to the citizens of Vale for the same reason. We decided to protect the people from Icosa."

"Where is my sister?" Yang asked.

"Not here." Jack responded with a shrug.

"And Weiss?" Blake asked.

"Also not here." Jack answered again with a shrug.

"WHERE. IS. MY SISTER?" Yang asked again through gritted teeth.

"If I had to guess, I would say she is either, at the castle of death in Reaper's realm, or with Scythe. I honestly don't know." Jack answered. "Actually, I do have a question for you. What was so interesting about the railings?"

"Their expensive. I don't think I have ever seen anything made of a combination of copper, silver, gold and that black metal."

"Two things, first that black metal is actually called timesteel. It is a much heavier and stronger metal than most other metal alloys out there. Second. It's not silver, it's actually platinum. And this entire space station is made from those metals. I was exceedingly wealthy in my much younger years." Jack explained with a wistful smile on his face.

An awkward silence settled on them. Yang and Blake were in shock by the amount of precious metals in the structure they were in. It took a minute for them to overcome their shock. Before another question was proposed by Blake.

"What exactly is this station for?" she asked.

"Chronotide is designed to regulate the flow of time. Hence why I'm the Timekeeper." Jack answered. "That is enough questions for now. You two are still needed on Remnant. Ruby, Weiss and Scythe will be needing your help."

"Why can't you help?" Blake asked.

"Yeah, why us?" Yang asked.

"Because, according to the laws of Time, the Keepers are not allowed to directly interfere with anyone in our domains except under certain conditions." Jack answered after a moment's hesitation.

"What conditions?" Yang asked.

"Attacks on our domains, wards or persons. The appearance of one of the Harbingers, or any reality warper, such as Icosa. Those are the conditions. Reaper is a special case with his warriors, but those are the conditions. Another reason I can't help, Icosa has destabilized time. It is my duty to restabilize it. Anyway, when you arrive, you shall be in close proximity to Scythe Hollow. Help him find his homeland of Lothric. We'll need an army to stop Icosa. Good luck."

Jack smiled before shoving them forward and through another time portal. The station disappeared in a swirling vortex of white.

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../…**

 **Data Log DF031 Information-Update schedule will become a bit more sporadic to almost nonexistent over the summer months. Farming schedule may not allow for updates every week. I apologize, but it is necessary. I will not be abandoning this story, but there is a high likelihood of there being no update until late August to early September. There will be one next week, it probably won't be until Sunday due to my little sister graduating on Saturday. So thank you for your patience and sticking with me through this. If you have any suggestions on how I can improve, please, by all means, feel free to send them.**

 **Input command - express_gratitude - Thank you to all who read this, your feedback is much appreciated as are your views and suggestions. Constructive criticism appreciated. Input command-tip_hat...Command accepted. Input command-Close**

 **Goodbye viewer, Fare thee well.**

 **End Log S.T.K.**


	26. CH23: Stories of a Lost History

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 23: Stories of a Lost History

The forest beyond the walls of Vale was actually quite peaceful. Of course, it was also rife with destruction from the Hedronians, but it was still peaceful. The corpses of melting Grimm did nothing to diminish the peace and serenity that the forest currently experienced...and the boredom. With everything that had happened the past few days, and his past, come to think of it, had left Scythe Hollow bored.

Of course, his journey to Lothric would take an unknown amount of time. Sadly, tNepres' death had left Scythe without his giant snake, which was a handy means of transportation. The Hedronians were undoubtedly coming the forest around the walls looking for him. The cursed pyromancy was not meant to last long. It had extinguished hours ago, the invigorating effects of their lives being drained had long since stopped.

The sound of a portal opening caught his attention. He looked behind him, but prepared to run. Drawing Frostbite also helped to keep him calm.

The portal looked like a hole had been opened in the forest. Through it, Scythe could see a building that looked suspiciously like Beacon, as well as many Huntsmen and Huntresses. Stepping through the portal, Scythe saw Ruby, and she appeared to be waving goodbye to someone. He assumed it to be Reaper.

Ruby turned to him as the portal closed. A long moment of awkward silence descended on the forest. Scythe smiled.

"Ruby." He greeted. "Don't suppose you're here to help me, are ya?"

Ruby smiled back. "Yes. Reaper also told me the Weiss, Yang and Blake would be here."

"Sorry, but I haven't seen them. I believe Weiss was taken to the Dream, but I don't know about your sister or her partner. However, we have a long journey ahead of us. Come, my heir, we must be off. Lothric grows no closer with us standing here." Scythe raised his blade and started walking away from Ruby.

The walked in silence for close to ten minutes before Ruby started asking questions.

"Where is Lothric?" She asked.

"Honestly, all I know is that it is in this direction. It has been a long time since I have been home." He responded, and started a cycle.

"How long have you been away from your home? Also, what is Lothric?"

I have been away for far too long. I don't know how many years it has been. And for your information, Lothric is the name of the country I ruled as the Lord of Hollows. You are in quite a unique position in terms of Lothric, you know that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you're human by birth, Hollow by blood, Reaper by training, and Huntress by choice."

"How can I be both human and Hollow?"

"To answer that, you remember when my kingdom fell, how I turned my son human right?"

"Yes."

"Good. Well, as time went on the disguise and breeding with humans slowly turned the family from Hollow to human. Honestly, until Reaper told me that you were my heir, I thought I was the last Hollow."

"Well, yeah. There are a bunch of them still alive, right?"

"No...well yes, but I meant as a surname. I thought I was the last of my family. However, you are the current Heir of Hollows."

"Is that title supposed to be important? I mean I am already a Reaper's Warrior."

"Yes, I was a warrior myself, albeit unwillingly, and the Lord of Hollows. Being the Heir of Hollows means that in due time, hopefully when I die permanently, you will take on the title of Lord of Hollows. It was supposed to go to my son, but the kingdom fell before he could inherit."

"If you don't mind me asking, what did you do after your kingdom fell."

"Well...it's a long story, so I'll just tell you a brief summary. Maybe tell you more later. After Lothric fell I was-WOAH!" Scythe cried out as his face became rather intimate with the ground.

He looked over his back to see what he had tripped over and was quite surprised to find a rather ornate lantern. The same lanterns that appeared in quite a few places of the blood-addled city of Yharnam. Although it appeared to have been constructed in a hurry. The humming sound that Scythe knew so well could be heard. A bluish mist appeared around the lantern and a body slowly came into existence. When the mist disappeared, Scythe and Ruby recognized Weiss.

She slowly stood up and looked around. Scythe was about to ask a question of her when Ruby ran up and hugged her. She disengaged after a minute. Scythe just watched the interaction with mild interest.

"Weiss, Yang and Blake weren't with you, were they?"

"No. I thought they with you. Speaking of which, where are we?" She looked around.

"I would say about seven miles from Vale in that direction." He pointed in the direction of Vale. "I would assume that Yang and Blake ended up with the TimeKeeper. When he'll send them to meet us, I know not. Now come Lothric still grows no closer and I was just getting ready to tell a story about me."

Scythe started walking. Ruby and Weiss were quick to follow.

"What were you going to talk about?" Weiss asked.

"A brief overview of my life after Lothric fell. I only have one definite time frame, and that is the time I spent in hiding. It was about three hundred years in hiding."

"Why is that the only definite time frame you have?" Weiss asked.

"Well, when you live long enough, the amount of years you are alive become irrelevant, and you slowly stop caring. For me, I stopped caring after three hundred years of hiding. Anyway, my time in hiding was mostly spent city hopping and practicing. I spent most of my time focusing on pyromancy. I kept my blade skills up, but pyromancy was my first love during those days. The only really remarkable thing that happened during my time in hiding was that I helped prevent a human kingdom from being overthrown."

"Why? I thought that you were a Hollow, and so soon after humans overthrew your kingdom." Ruby asked.

"I was a Hollow, still am, thank you for noticing. However, if I didn't help that kingdom, many more lives would have been lost. Including the life of a friend of mine in that kingdom."

"Who was this friend?" Weiss asked.

"The queen. She came searching for me after learning of a swordsman who could freeze his enemies solid. I later found out she was looking for me because she could do the same, but with not sword. Fun times. Anyway, the main changes in my life began when I first learned of the Eldritch truths that world hides."

"I had heard about a rumor shadowed manor in the north. Apparently it had become a den of occult horrors. As naturally curious as I am, I decided that an investigation into the place would be in order. The owner of the estate was hiring literally anyone to help clean out the place, and I was lucky enough to be hired. At this manor, I encountered a disease that was spread through the blood. According to the owner of the estate, it took nearly two years to root out the evil that was nestled in the estate's lands."

"After leaving and being gifted with some insight into the Eldritch truths of the world, I came to learn of a city that was drowning in blood. I learned about them through a passing rumor about a healing liquid that could knit the flesh back together. It sounded so similar to the estus of my time that I had to investigate."

"Estus?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, estus, the liquid in that golden flask I would drink after classes at Beacon, surely you haven't forgotten." Scythe explained. "Anyway, I found the city's name was Yharnam. The less said about that cursed place the better. All you need to know for now is that I learned of the Eldritch, met, fought and beat several Great Ones, including the Greatest One, and after freeing myself from that neverending nightmare, I burned the city to the ground. Oh, I also got my scythe Bloodstain in that city."

"After Yharnam was razed to the ground, I focused my time on practicing with the scythe. As you know, I had the blade mastered in a matter of time. After Yharnam, a period of nothing passed. Actually it wasn't in until the turn of the twenty first century that I had anything interesting happen. One major thing that happened was a strange shifting castle. I still don't know how I wandered into that place. Apparently, it was supposed to be hidden from the prying eyes of the world. My insight from Yharnam must have allowed me to see it. I was actually asked to teach there. They claimed to be wizards, hah. I had laugh with that, their magic was insignificant. I did teach there for some time though. After about a year, I left. Crossed the seas to the Americas. Don't ask, it's just the forgotten name of a forgotten land."

"It was on the eastern seaboard of this land that I met some really strange super powered individuals, one of whom could throw blue lightning from his hands. People called him the Electric Man. Stupid superhero name, but in reality he really wasn't anything special. Cool powers though."

"The only other major events that happened were a mercenary was hired to kill. That guy was everything wrong with being completely insane. Kept talking to voices in his head and kept claiming to break the fourth wall. I swear, if I hadn't met him before I would've thought he belonged in some form of media. Probably a comic book. After the fiasco with that nutball, the world was flooded with darkness, and you know the rest of the story from there."

"That was a brief overview of what you did between the fall of your kingdom and now?" Weiss asked.

"Yes, maybe at a later date, I might divulge a little more. As for now, it is getting late. We'll make camp here for the night and continue in the morning. You girls get some rest, I keep watch."

As the shattered moon rose higher into the sky, the group made camp. Scythe was pleased to see that moon was no longer a Paleblood moon. Ruby and Weiss had long since fallen asleep. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

 _ **I must say, your school has become quite the center for my operations. What do you think?**_

"I would like to be set free, but I can see that reasoning with you would be a pointless effort."

 _ **I take offense to that. I am not unreasonable, I just have a mission that most people don't seem to get. Do you? I mean, you must right?**_

"You want to rule the world?"

 _ **Must you be so sarcastic? Were you like this when you had a body? Rhetorical question. Do you know why I trapped your consciousness in your skull?**_

"You were bored and wanted someone to talk to that wasn't one of you underlings. You tell me this nearly every day."

 _ **And nearly everyday I tell it's because I'm bored. Talking to my underlings is really like talking to myself. The Nameless King can't talk back either. Thus the trapped mind of the Bacon's headmaster. I am curious though, is it cramped in there?**_

"Its Beacon. And not really. Having no physical body has that advantage. So are you going to tell me what your mission is or not?"

 _ **Well, my mission is simple. I want power. Not just any power, but the powers to manipulate every aspect of reality as I see fit. It's called the power of Infinity. So named because the last person to have these powers called himself Infinity.**_

"You want power? Is that why you do evil things?"

 _ **Sure. If that's the reasoning you want to take, go for it. Although, your reasoning isn't really that far off. I know why I choose evil. It's convenient. Evil is the most convenient way for me to achieve this reality altering power.**_

"What were you before...this?"

 _ **A mechanic. I repaired vehicles for a living, until I got a taste of power. It was glorious. The rush, the thrill, the ecstacy. Oh, I wanted more. I needed more. Power was like a drug. Yet, it was so much more…**_

"So, you basically had nothing, then you had power?"

 _ **Indeed. I guess you could call me the epitome of the idea that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Jack is probably the only person still alive that remembers me from before my change into...well...me. He's told me I was actually a pretty decent guy until I went a bit power crazy. Do you think I'm power crazy, Ozzy?**_

"Crazy...yes. Power crazy? Not so much. I would just say power hungry."

 _ **Fair enough. Sadly, I must take my leave. You know, we may have differing ideals, but I do so enjoy these conversations.**_

"What is it you need to do?"

 _ **I guess there's no harm in telling you. I am going to practice my skills with the blade that belonged to Scythe Hollow. There are some things that need my attention with my army. And we must prepare. The Keepers are sure to be preparing their own invasion force as well. Good night Ozzy, see ya soon.**_

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

 **Data Log DF032:Information-Frozen belongs to Disney, Darkest Dungeon belongs to Red Hook, Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, InFAMOUS belongs to Sucker Punch**

 **Information-Sorry for not posting yesterday. Spotty internet did not allow for me to post. Please leave constructive criticism. Updates to the archives take it into account, and it is greatly appreciated.**

 **Input command - express_gratitude - Thank you to all who read this, your feedback is much appreciated as is your views. Input command-tip_hat...Command accepted. Input command-Close**

 **Goodbye viewer, Fare thee well.**

 **End Log S.T.K.**


	27. CH24: Journey's End

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 24: Journey's End

Being shoved through a time portal can be both annoying and convenient. Annoying as it is not the most pleasant experience to be forced to travel through time. Convenient because they landed back on Remnant. Right on the road that Ruby, Weiss and Scythe were travelling. Falling from nothing definitely startled the group, but the shock wore off rather fast as Ruby immediately recognized her sister.

One brief account of their story and another brief explanation of their mission later, the group was on the road again. The walked for the rest of the day. Night fell and they made camp. Wake up, eat breakfast, walk, eat lunch, walk, eat dinner, sleep. Rinse and repeat. The pattern repeated throughout the week. Time wore on and the land they were looking for grew no closer.

The worst part was how boring and monotonous it was. The days stretched on. The lack or grimm was rather erie to the four girls. Scythe welcomed the peace. Days were long, nights were longer. The girls were given a brief reprieve each night as Scythe always took watch. One advantage of hollowing, no sleep necessary. Despite that, sleep was not unwelcomed to him.

Not every night was peaceful. The third night of their journey, several ursa attacked. The fifth night, none of them could sleep. Scythe sat against a tree watching over the girls as he assumed they slept. Blake heard him talking to himself that night.

"It feels so familiar. A great kingdom, brought to its knees by one man. Why did Vale have to mirror Lothric?" Scythe mused to himself.

To say she was interested in what he was saying would be a mild understatement. She stood up and stealthily made her way over to his guarding spot.

"The more I think on it, the more I see the similarities between Vale and Lothric. The ruling power and army were both taken out in one fell swoop. A distraction to eliminate the main defending force while the offensive leader kills the defensive leader…What do you think Blake?" Scythe asked as he turned toward her.

Blake looked startled and walked into the open.

"How did you know I was here?" She asked.

"Blake, oh ye of poor memory. I am a Hollow, as such I have a unique awareness of souls. As a huntress you practically wear your soul on your sleeve. Now you didn't answer my question." Scythe stated.

Blake thought for a minute. "Is it possible that the person who overthrew your kingdom and Icosa Hedron are the same."

"It is a definite possibility...but I would think that I would remember him if that were the case. I just wish I knew why the situations are so similar."

Blake just shrugged and Scythe looked into the trees.

"Can you see them?" He asked after a minute of silence.

"Who?"

"The souls. I have killed so many and taken their souls for myself. I wondered if you could see them. The amalgamation of lives that make up the abomination I call a soul."

Blake was silent, unsure of how to respond. Scythe continued on.

"The monsters I have killed don't bother me, not even the guilty plague my conscience. But the innocents. There are so many I have killed. So many that didn't deserve death. Men, women...children. In my days as king, I was a conqueror. Killing was part of everyday life in the beginning of my reign. I offered peace, but those who denied our offer, we slaughtered them. No survivors. The only way to guarantee no uprising was to wipe out the opposing nation. Everyday since the fall of Lothric, I ask myself, was I right? Was completely destroying the opposing nations the right thing to do?"

Scythe stopped talking. His gaze had long since drifted toward the setting moon.

"I'm sorry." He said after a long while of silence. "I did not wish to heap the burden of my past upon your shoulders. You should get some rest."

He looked at Blake to find she had fallen asleep. He smirked, stood and moved toward a position to better watch the camp.

The sun rose and the group started walking again. About an hour after lunch, Weiss grew curious.

"You know Scythe, we don't even know what we're looking for." Weiss stated.

"Did I not tell you?" Scythe answered.

"All we know is that we are looking for a land called Lothric." Yang replied.

"Huh, well...it depends on the direction we come from. There are four possibilities. We could either come across an ancient freezing valley, that may or may not still contain a city. Another option is the remnants of an old village that rested at the base of the castle. The third option is a poisonous swamp that will most likely contain Ghru elders and Basilisks. The final possibility is a series of ancient catacombs. No matter where we end up first, we will have to find a tomb that means a great deal and we will see the castle somewhere on the horizon…" Scythe trailed off.

"I am sensing a but in there. Something you're not telling us?" Weiss asked.

"Well, Lothric castle is most likely where my army is resting, but the castle rests upon a massive plateau. It was built there for the immense strategic location it provided and the defensive position that could be gained. Unfortunately, when the castle was built, there was only one entrance/exit. The main bridge. It was destroyed before I became king, but we rebuilt it. I don't actually know if it still stands. Ah well, that is one bridge we'll burn when we get there."

"Don't you mean build?" Ruby asked.

"Build? No, I meant burn. Let's go." Scythe said with an air of finality.

The day wore on. As naught a Grimm was seen. That night, the girls noticed that Scythe was remarkably happier than the days before. Sure, just over a week had passed with them walking for who knows how long but Scythe was happy. When asked Scythe would only respond with soon. That night they didn't make camp. The darkness grew around them, but the kept walking. Scythe ignited his hand so that they could see. The moon had not risen thus making the darkness surrounding them quite oppressive.

As they were walking, the girls noticed that the ground they were walking on had grown remarkably harder. Looking around, they saw that they were in some sort of cave. As they descended into the planet, they noticed it getting colder. Scythe stopped with no warning in front of a massive rather ornate door depicting what appeared to be the head of a wolf. The appeared to be a pile of unburnt torches by the door.

"Amazing, still as pristine as the day we installed it." Scythe muttered as he walked toward the door.

He lit two torches and handed them to Weiss and Blake. They looked at each other confused but said nothing. Scythe stepped forward, braced himself against the massive doors, and pushed. Nothing happened, but Scythe kept pushing.

"I don't think it's going to open." Yang stated after a minute of his fruitless efforts.

"Yang, one thing I learned in Lothric. If you fail, die, die, and die again until you succeed. Now help me with this door." Scythe responded.

"Yang braced herself against one of the doors and pushed. The ancient stone did not want to open, but after another minute of pushing it slowly opened. When the door was wide enough for them to walk through, they stopped pushing and Scythe entered. He immediately lit the torches that lined the walls. The girls followed him when the room was lit.

Inside they saw three things. The first was another massive ornate door at the other end of the room. The second was the massive amount of bodies. Each one laying on top of a stone slab, dressed in armor similar to that of Scythe. The third thing they saw was Scythe kneeling next to a bonfire and a large wolf.

"What is this place?" Yang asked.

"A place of honor. We should remain silent." Ruby responded.

The rest of her team looked at her. She had a somber look on face. She walked next to Scythe and knelt down next to him. Next to him she noticed his face appeared to be expressing a deep pain.

"Years ago, I became a watchdog of Farron. A group charged with protecting the keep that these brave warriors called home. How ironic that one of the Farron's guards had to kill her undead legion of Abyss Watchers. They were formed with sole intention of fighting the abyss, but it did not matter. Farron's undead legion was corrupted by their enemy and they fought each other." Scythe said.

"Take heart, they fell while they still had honor. In the end they still fought the abyss. Reaper has kept a contingent of them to still fight the abyss." Ruby whispered to him.

Despite the tombs solemn atmosphere, Scythe gave Ruby a small smile.

"For Reaper to trust you with knowledge like that must mean you are honorable and trustworthy. Ruby Rose, we will make a Hollow out of you yet. Come let us leave." Scythe said.

"Yes, let them rest." She beckoned her teammates to follow.

Scythe had opened the other door in the room. Walking out, he took a deep breath of fresh air.

"Welcome home Scythe." he said to himself.

He turned to look at Team RWBY and took a step back. The dark silhouette of a massive castle could be seen on the horizon. Scythe raised both his arms to gesture at the land around them.

"Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang...welcome to my lost home. Welcome to Lothric."

* * *

The night was quite beautiful, especially when no moon was present, at least that's what Icosa thought. Everything was working like a well oiled machine. Hedronians were training, errands were complete, new developments were most intriguing. And he now had an idea that would be most beneficial. He entered his office flanked by two guards. They stopped at the doorway.

 _ **Ozzy, Ozzy, Ozpin. How ya doin friend?**_

"I would hardly call us friends."

 _ **Great, neither would I. I was wondering if you would like to do more than just sit on the left arm of my throne?**_

"If you mean to let me go, then yes."

 _ **EXCELLENT! I just require information.**_

"Information?"

 _ **Indeed. What do you know of the former human known as Cinder Fall?**_

"All we really knew about her was that she was working in Vale. I assume she had some sort of plan to take over Vale in some form or other. She was also a skilled Dust wielder. Wove it into her clothes. Wait...what did you mean former human?"

 _ **Well, she was our quote unquote "payload". We forced her to take on the power of the fall maiden. After doing so, we forced darkanium into her body, the result was a reaction between the competing power, and an explosion equivalent to that of a small nuke. The aftermath was, unexpected. I have never actually recovered the corpse of someone who has been forced to be an explosive like that. Apparently, Hedronian explosions on non-Hedronians leads to a forced rapid hedronization. Miss Fall, is nothing more than a mind in the remains of a Hedronian body. I never exerted control over her mind, thus she can't control her body. Actually, she is in a similar position to what we want you to be doing. She is currently teaching a group of my Hedronians to wield dust. I want you to teach them to be Huntsmen. Sound good?**_

"I thought you would let me go free with my cooperation."

 _ **Technically, you only wanted me to let you go. You never specified where or in what way. This is your new life, get used to it. Guard, take the skull away.**_

" _Yes, Lord Hedron."_

The guard on the right bowed to Icosa before taking the skull that contained Ozpin's mind away. The other guard watched him go, and looked expectantly at Icosa.

" _Sir?"_

 _ **Is there something on your mind?**_

" _Yes, why are we employing the help of a lesser being, sir?"_

 _ **He may be lesser, but he is a teacher. One thing we have never had in our army is proper training. If the basic Hedronian can wield a blade on the level of those children we fought during the siege, then imagine the possibilities. No more Hedronians rushing wildly into the fray only to fall seconds later. You are dismissed.**_

The guard bowed to Icosa before leaving.

 _ **It is only a matter of time. The Hollow shall be mine. Sleep well Remnant. The days of war rapidly approach. The army is ready, are you?**_

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

 **Data Log DF033 Information-Please leave constructive criticism. Updates to the archives take it into account, and it is much appreciated.**

 **Input command - express_gratitude - Thank you to all who read this, your feedback is much appreciated as is your views. Input command-tip_hat...Command accepted. Input command-Close**

 **Goodbye viewer, Fare thee well.**

 **End Log S.T.K.**


	28. CH25: The Home of the Hollows

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 25: The Home of the Hollows

The rising sun rose slowly...too slowly. The land of Lothric seemed to be stuck in a state of darkness. It was rather unnerving to the humans, but the hollow was unbothered. The ground that had been so hard earlier had grown soft. A soft blanket of moss and stagnant water had washed over the land. The stale was almost suffocating at times. The castle on the horizon never seemed to get any closer, but it could be seen.

The castle was magnificent. There was a bridge that appeared to enter straight into the massive raised structure. The castle itself appeared to be above what looked like a small town. A single square tower rose higher than the rest of the structure. A lot of work appeared to have been done to the buildings, but it still looked magnificent.

The girls noticed that Scythe had disappeared while they had been staring at the structure above them. They started calling for him, but he didn't answer. After a few minutes of searching, they came to a large stone door. Behind it, Scythe was sitting down, staring at the the water and picking up clumps of purple moss.

"I hate these bogs." Scythe stated.

"Why? It's just water, isn't it?" Ruby asked as she was about to take a step into the water.

The coiled greatsword that Scythe called Bonfire was in front of Ruby before she had time to react. The blade was held steady and prevented her from take a step forward.

"Before my day, Farron Keep was overrun by this swamp. In my day the waters were so polluted that they could poison a man by simply stepping in them and bring them to their knees before you could say crap. We never cleaned the water as it made for an excellent defense against invaders." Scythe explained as Ruby slowly stepped back.

"Then how do we cross?" she asked.

"We wade through the poison." Scythe said before going back to picking through the moss.

"Uh...how? You just said it could bring a man to his knees in seconds." Weiss asked.

"The purple moss that grows here allowed the body to resist the poisonous effects of this swamp. It tastes terrible, but it is quite necessary." Scythe handed each of the girls a small clump of purple moss. "However, you can't eat it all at once. It only gives a very limited time for protection. I would always eat one when I felt the poison of the waters start eating away at my life. Anyway, on that happy note, eat up and let's move out!" Scythe exclaimed with an uncharacteristic smile on his face.

The girls each ate a small portion of the purple moss that Scythe had given them. To say it was revolting would be an understatement. However, despite the protests of their tongue, they did not spit it out. In seconds the air seemed to be clear. It was only for a second. The protection offered by the moss was rapidly draining. The girls hurried to catch up to Scythe. Their walk through the toxic swamp in Farron Keep was long and slow. Every few minutes the girls ate another bite of the purple moss.

Blake noticed that Scythe had not. He would let out a strangled cough and take a swig from his golden estus flask. She was about to ask what it was when Scythe stopped and drew out Blazing Judgement, the twin enchanted swords that once belonged to the Dancer of the Boreal Valley. With the quick muttering of some strange words. Scythe disappeared. The moment he was gone, a strange looking frog thing with two large bulbous eyes on the top of its head walked into view. It spotted the girls almost immediately and started running at them. It got within five feet and prepared to jump when a glowing purple blade was thrust through one of the large eyes. The frog monster fell into the water with a spurt of blood, but was still writhing around. A sigh of frustration could be heard before a single loud gunshot put the beast out of its misery.

The shimmered above the monster and Scythe reappeared. He scowled at the strange frog as he cleaned off the blade. He walked as fast as the the swamp would allow him away from the strange frog. He waved the girls to follow him.

"What was that?" Yang asked, slightly horrified.

"Basilisk. I would have thought they all died, but we nearly stumbled into an entire nest of them. We must hurry and get to the top of the bridge. Where there is one, there are bound to be many more." Scythe hastily explained as they made their way deeper into the swamp.

"I thought basilisks were snakes that could kill people by staring at them." Weiss stated.

"Most are, but those aren't and they can still turn you to stone with their breath." Scythe said.

They moved as fast as they could through the swamp. There were no more basilisks on the way. Eventually they reached what could only be described as a massive pillar situated in the swamp. The pillar was on dryer ground, a small mercy to the girls as they did not want to eat anymore of the purple moss. They came to a ladder that Scythe didn't hesitate to start climbing. Atop the ladder, they climbed onto a small balcony in the side of the pillar. Around the left corner was a set of stairs that the five moved up. The staircase ended with a small doorway into a large room.

Scythe led the girls to a small alcove. Once the five were inside, he pressed a tile in the middle of the platform. Once pressed, it began rising. The girls marveled at the primitive elevator.

"How did you people make elevators with no electricity?" Weiss asked.

"Don't know. Lothric castle, the high wall, and Farron Keep were all constructed before my time. My best guess would be an intricate system of weights, pulleys, and gears." Scythe responded with a shrug.

"Why is the land so dark?" Blake asked.

"The abyss." Scythe responded. "It was slowly taking over when the Abyss Watchers fell. However, some other outside forces, I will assume the Keepers, pushed it back. But the darkness it brought still remains. I think it might also be because of the abyss that this land still contains the ancient life that lived in my day." Scythe shrugged at the end of his response.

The elevator reached the top of its climb. They stepped out into the dimmed sunlight. The bridge they were on was mostly intact. Age had worn away some of the stone, but it was still crossable. The best part was how clear the air had become. The stale air of the swamp below was no longer suffocating the group.

The castle of Lothric could be seen much better now that they were closer, and it was larger than they had originally imagined. The bridge led to a single opening in the massive wall that surrounded the entire structure. Along the wall were impressive towers, some of which had what appeared to be dragon skins hanging from the top. Higher up, they could see the main body of the castle itself. It just as impressive.

Scythe let them stare at his old home. He heard the sounds of shuffling feet. Looking behind him, he saw several hollows slowly walking toward their position. The slow shambling corpses that made up his subjects brought a small smile to his face. That smile disappeared when they raised their weapons as they grew closer. Without hesitation, Scythe removed his untrue dark ring. Scythe's sudden change into a hollow caused them to halter. It also caused the girls to jump a bit. They noticed the approaching hollows, and raised their own weapons in case of attack. Noticing how tense the situation was getting, Scythe decided that some exertion of his control would be required.

"We are not enemies. Lower your weapons." Scythe spoke to the hollows. The authority that accompanied his voice made the girls also want to lower their own weapons. "These humans are not our enemies. Our borders must open again. A new threat has arisen that will destroy us all. We must stand and help the humans. Go, gather everyone who still walks and take them to the throne room. Tell them the Lord of Hollows still lives. Tell them Scythe Hollow has returned."

* * *

The barracks was massive. Who would have thought that turning an entire city into an army training ground would have been a good idea. Of course, his army was improving. A large elite force, that he decided to call his hunters, were actually on par with the former students of Beacon. And they were the worst of the bunch. Most of them could take down a fully trained Huntsman with little to no effort. Ozpin's help had been greatly appreciated. Icosa was pleased. He stood up from his throne and took the elevator to ground level. The sinister smile that graced his face never left. He felt quite confident in his army.

As he passed them, each Hedronian he came across would bow respectfully to him before continuing on their way. Preparations were nearly complete. He exited his school turned fortress and found the Nameless King standing on the edge of the cliff overlooking The ruin that was Vale.

 _ **Well my voiceless friend, it is almost time. The army is ready. All we need now is a target.**_

The Nameless King simply grunted. The troops were indeed ready, but they would need different amounts of the different troops depending on where they attacked first. Atlas still had a large defensive force, Mistral and Vacuo each had their own natural defenses, and the location of Lothric was only known to those currently within its borders. The only part of the army that wouldn't change with the kingdom would be the Hunters. They needed a trial run and starting the attack on any of the next four kingdoms would be a great way to test them.

 _ **I think Atlas. They have the strongest army. Cripple them, cripple the planet. What say you Nameless? Yeah you agree, ready the troops we march out at dawn.**_

The Nameless King nodded and left.

 _ **War is coming. You better be ready Remnant. Atlas shall fall next. Then Mistral and Vacuo. Lothric shall be found and this planet shall be mine.**_

" _Lord Hedron!"_ A Hedronian ran up to him. " _Sir, we lost the Hollow."_

Well that put a damper on Icosa's mood.

 _ **You lost him? How did you lose him?**_

" _He and his traveling companions disappeared into a tomb. We couldn't find where they exited."_

 _ **You disappoint me. You know how I treat failure, don't you?**_

" _Sir?"_

 _ **Failure is seen as cowardice. Cowardice is treason. And treason shall not be tolerated. Execute them. Execute all who failed.**_

The Hedronian was dragged away. Icosa smiled once more. Pleased to begin the march. It was time to go to war. Every kingdom would fall, then time itself would collapse after.

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

 **Data Log DF034 Information-Sorry about hectic update schedule. I work on a farm for two to three weeks at a time with no access to the internet. it will most likely be like this throughout the rest of the summer. Thank you for understanding. Adulting is just the worst. Please leave constructive criticism. Updates to the archives take it into account, and it is much appreciated.**

 **Input command - express_gratitude - Thank you to all who read this, your feedback is much appreciated as is your views. Input command-tip_hat...Command accepted. Input command-Close**

 **Goodbye viewer, Fare thee well.**

 **End Log S.T.K.**


	29. CH26: The Drums of War

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 26: The Drums of War

Scythe had to admit, it was good to be back. He did have one thing to do before the proceedings began. The army had to be awakened. He told team RWBY to stand by his throne, for he had to awaken his army. They would listen to the call of their king.

The most logical place for Scythe to assume that army was resting were the catacombs. He remembered them well. They were crawling with skeletons, all set on protecting the dead from anyone, even the other dead. In time, they slowly wiped themselves out. If he had to guess, his army was resting somewhere in those accursed tombs.

In the heyday of Lothric, they had moved the entrance of the tomb. The chamber he had defeated the Abyss Watchers in became their final resting place, and a back door of sorts into the country. The catacombs were no longer patrolled by anyone. The Hollows had abandoned the crypt long ago.

A short way down from the main entrance a room had been carved out and expanded. The circular room held the sarcophagi of his army. Each resting in peace. But they weren't dead. He could feel the undead souls inside each casket. Each amalgamation was simply resting. Not killed, just asleep.

Scythe stared at the room, puzzled. He had no clue what to do. He walked to the center of the crypt and just kept looking at each casket. The entombed were there, they were alive, but how to wake them? He stopped in the center of the room. Deep in thought, Scythe looked up. On the ceiling were a series of rather ornate pictures carved into the ancient stone. They depicted the army at its zenith, the greatest battles they fought, even the ones that they lost.

"Amazing…" Scythe breathed out.

"Indeed, some humans were still on your side."

Scythe whirled around. Standing at the entrance was Reaper Grim, and Ruby.

"Lord Reaper." Scythe greeted, nodding his head in respect. "May I ask why you and your last warrior have joined me?"

"I figured you would appreciate the help in waking them. After all, I did put them to sleep…and I have a request."

"Fair enough, how can you help?" Scythe asked.

"Simple, they are attracted to the flame, are they not? Set up a bonfire, and she will awaken them. A true test of her power." Reaper answered. "This is a request from all of the keepers. We ask to use Lothric as a sanctuary. The timeline is weak, only people of this timeline can strengthen it."

"I must speak with my people about this." Scythe answered.

"Understood." Reaper replied before vanishing into a black portal.

Scythe nodded and opened his satchel. He withdrew some of the undead bone shards and bone ash. He set up a small pile in the center of the floor. Withdrawing Bonfire from its sheath, he stabbed it into the pile of ash. With a snap of his fingers and a burst of pyromancy, the sword and ash lit up. Tongues of flame slowly climbed up the blade. A single tongue surrounded Scythe's hand.

The moment the bonfire was lit, Scythe felt the souls of his fallen soldiers reaching out toward the flame. Ruby walked toward the bonfire. Amazement evident on her face. She reached out to touch the flame. Scythe was pleased to note the look of pleasant content on her face as her hand was in the fire. Her eyes flashed a brighter silver before being tinged with the same black as the sockets in Reaper's skull.

The bonfire grew in strength and the souls started to leave the caskets. Each one was floating toward Ruby and Scythe. Ruby was muttering something, but Scythe had no idea what it was. Probably commanding the warriors to awaken. The heat from the flame was changing. In a small matter of seconds, whatever Ruby was doing, caused the flame to glow the same vibrant red as her cloak. The souls of his warriors were circling the fire. Scythe knew what to do next.

"I am Scythe Hollow, your Lord of Hollows. Rise and continue in your duties. Awaken and fight for the world you once lived in. Hear my command and heed its words. I COMMAND YOU TO RISE!" Scythe yelled as he put as much authority into his voice as he could. His power over the Hollows further expanded his authority.

The souls listened. In a matter of seconds, they flew back toward the caskets that contained their bodies. The lid on the casket closest to the door was slowly lifted. The Hollow inside rose out of the casket slowly and rather dramatically. When the Hollow exited the coffin, it turned and bowed to Scythe. Other caskets had been opened and Hollows were bowing toward Scythe Hollow.

One of the Hollows approached. Scythe recognized her as his old General, Yuria, the first of his subjects. She bowed to him, before drawing her sword. She leveled it at Ruby's neck. Ruby raised her hands in surrender and stepped back. Other Hollows were drawing swords and pointing them at the only human in the crypt. Scythe had enough.

"Stand down." Scythe ordered forcing the Hollows to obey with the authority in his voice.

Yuria appeared to glare at Ruby, but slowly lowered her sword. The other Hollows slowly followed suit.

"My lord, why have you brought a human here?" Yuria asked, venom dripping in her voice when she said human.

The reaction was to be expected. They would remember that it was a human that had caused the downfall of the kingdom in the past.

"I will explain in the throne room. The rest of Lothric are gathering. I would rather it only be explained once. However, she is under my personal protection. Any attack on her shall be considered an attack on me and will treated as treasonous." Scythe declared before leading Ruby and the army out of the crypts and towards the throne room.

* * *

The air was positively buzzing. He had returned, and everyone had to hear about it. The Lord of Hollows was back. He had come to reclaim the throne. Only one question remained. Why was he with four humans? Also, where has he been? Technically two, but the kingdom had to know that the king had returned. Their isolation was ending.

The throne room, while large, was packed. The hollows who were still awake were flocking to the castle. Scythe was supposed to have settled into his seat of power…but he was strangely absent. Standing next to the throne were three humans. Each had a specific color associated with them. There were mutterings from the others about the humans, but most of them were excited to have their benevolent leader back.

The doors at the back of the throne room opened rapidly. Three Hollows opened each one, and the Lord of Hollows walked in. He was flanked by General Yuria and another human. In total that made four humans present in the kingdom of Lothric. As he passed, Hollows would bow before their king. A very select few even bowed to the human girl.

This appeared to confuse the General, but she said nothing. They could feel the power radiating off the girl. As she passed, it reminded them of their king and death. It was strange to say the least.

Scythe eventually made it to his throne. He gave a single command that rippled with the authority they were so used to hearing in his voice.

"Rise, my subjects. You need not bow to me." Scythe waved his hand over the Hollows.

As one, the entire assembly rose.

"My Hollows, after nearly six thousand years, I have returned. Unfortunately, I come at a very grave time. Some time, not too long ago, a darkness of liquid evil flooded the entire planet. It was pushed back, but it has returned. Now, the being known as Icosa Hedron, threatens all of existence as we know it. I know you will protest, I know you won't like it, but I ask that as a kingdom we rise again and come to the aid of the humans. It has also been requested by an old friend that we open Lothric to the refugees from the kingdoms that Icosa attacks."

At the end of his small explanation an uproar could be heard amongst the Hollows. Various shouts of "Why should we help them?" and "They are the reason we were almost wiped out!" could be heard. There were even a few people calling for the execution of the humans standing next to the throne. There were a small group of Hollows arguing for the safety of the humans. One voice stood out amongst the others.

"SILENCE!" the amplified voice called, the crackle of fire could be heard.

The Hollows and humans looked to the source of the voice. An aged hollow walked forward. The robes the he wore appeared to be tattered, but it was deliberate. There appeared to be a set of old bandages covering the top of his head. His burning hand was removed from his face. Scythe instantly recognized his old friend and teacher Cornyx, the pyromancer. Scythe gave a nod of respect to Cornyx who walked forward and continued speaking.

"Why do argue and fight like twelve-year-old children. The actions of one man should not be the condemnation for an entire race. Besides, Scythe's betrayal was several millennia ago." He yelled to the crowd. "Not once in our proud history have we denied help to those who truly needed it. Believe me, I like the humans who betrayed us no more than you. However, I ask you to honestly answer this, what has the people of this time done to deserve the wrath of the Abyss?"

There were a few mutterings among the people. Eventually, they broke off into smaller groups to discuss what they heard. Cornyx nodded in satisfaction and approached the throne.

"Lord Hollow." Cornyx greeted while bowing before Scythe.

"My friend, how many times must I tell you. There is no need for you to be so formal with me, nor should you call me lord. We are friends." Scythe grasped Cornyx by the hand. "By the way I must introduce you to some students of my own. Cornyx, this is Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, Yang Xiao Long, and Ruby Rose." He pointed at each of the girls as he introduced them. "Girls, this is Cornyx of the Great Swamp, the Hollow who first taught me pyromancy."

"Are you blind?" Ruby asked.

"No dear, these bandages merely cover the sockets where my eyes were when I was human. Easy way to hide the fact that you are Hollow." Cornyx answered.

"They appear to have reached a decision, my lord." Yuria said.

Scythe looked at the crowd. One Hollow stepped forward.

"Sir, we have agreed to help the humans. This world is theirs first, we shall help protect it." He stated.

"Excellent." Scythe responded with a smile. "Yuria, send out four scouts. One to each of the kingdoms, Have the scouts sent to the kingdoms of Atlas, Mistral, and Vacuo inform the present leaders in the kingdoms of Lothric. If the kingdom has been destroyed, bring the survivors to our kingdom. Have them enter through the tomb of the Abyss Watchers. I want the scout sent to Vale to keep watch on the city, report on anything that Icosa does. We are not be seen by the enemy. Speak to the girls about the locations of the kingdoms, they should know."

"My Lord." Yuria bowed.

"Hollows of Lothric. Remnant needs our help. We go to war! For those who can't die!" Scythe bellowed the war cry.

"FOR THOSE WHO CAN'T DIE!" the Hollows responded with equal fervor. War had come to Remnant, and the Hollows would be ready.

* * *

The sweet, sweet taste of destruction was Icosa's favorite feeling. The anticipation for an oncoming victory was always the worst part of any battle though. Surprisingly, Atlas was actually ready for battle with the Hedronians. Icosa was ready as well.

 _ **Time to begin. Dark Fiends, bring down that wall.**_

Twenty of the giants lumbered toward the walls that surrounded the kingdom. The soldiers in the city began firing. Their ammunition had no effect on the giants of darkness.

 _ **And so, Atlas shall fall. With him, the sky will come crashing down on the planet and signify the end of days. We have entered war.**_

Icosa started walking toward the city. A sinister smile gracing his skeletal face.

 _ **The dark shall win, it already has.**_

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	30. CH27: Fallen Skies

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 27: Fallen Skies

The battle was lost the moment the walls were breached. Actually, if he was being honest, the battle was lost the moment the giants moved into formation to attack. Of course, even though he was a proud general and would stop at nothing to defend his kingdom if asked, he knew a hopeless situation when he saw it. It was the moment a giant fell and the walls breached that Ironwood called for a retreat. The citizens of Atlas were more important than the kingdom itself.

Unfortunately, air support of any kind was ruled out almost immediately. Tall spires would erupt from the ground and destroy any airship that passed overhead in seconds. The Atlesian fleet was crippled. How did it come to this?

They were prepared for attack. Heck, they even knew when it was going to happen. Even that wasn't enough. Icosa's army of Hedronians fought with an unkillable ferocity that could only be matched by the Atlesian knights. Unfortunately, where the knights had an unkillable ferocity, the Hedronians were mostly straight up unkillable. The rare successful headshots would take them down, as well as being cleaved in half by a large blade, but they were fast and deadly.

A startling contrast to the attack on Vale were the Hedronians that moved slaughtered the people and machines like the Huntsmen and Huntresses slaughtered grimm. It was disturbing to see such skill in what were previously assumed to be drones. But even they paled in comparison to two of the warriors in the Hedronian army.

The first was the giant of a man that Ironwood had first seen riding a dragon. He moved far to fast for his size and the massive sword spear he carried ripped through buildings, machines and people alike. The sole purpose of the massive Hedronian seemed to be to cause as much damage as possible. Every so often, the blade would glow yellow and unleash devastating explosions of lightning.

The worst though was Icosa himself. Bullets couldn't get near him and anyone that approached was easily dealt with. He fought with the scythe that Ironwood recognized as Scythe Hollow's. He cut down rows of people with ease. Every so often he would fling his hand up and a spire of Darkanium would grow to destroy any air support that tried to fire on the army.

Ironwood saw him grab a civilian by the neck with his hand on fire. The flame entered his body and burned. It was a slow process that looked and sounded painful as the man did not stop screaming until he dropped to the ground, nothing more than a skeleton. The Darkanium flowed over the body and a new Hedronian stood in his place ready to fight for the darkness. All hope was lost.

Several hand gestures from evil incarnate sent waves of Darkanium that swept people aside. The look of joy and ecstasy on the face of the monster that lead the Hedronians was all Ironwood need to see to know that he was savoring the death and destruction going on around him. It was all he needed to know that Atlas was lost, granted that was easy to see from the start.

He never would have thought that the old caverns under Atlas would come in handy. Dug out years ago, they would make a nice evacuation route. The order was sent, all humans and faunus, Huntsman or otherwise, were to retreat. The citizens had to be protected. Atlas was lost. All drones were to be sent to the front lines and hold off the army of living darkness.

Citizens were evacuating, but it wasn't enough. Hedronians were breaking through and slaughtering everyone. One of them had purple fire burning its hands. Purple fire...that meant detonation. Ironwood started firing at the Hedronian preparing to detonate. Then the world went sideways.

Two massive fireballs of that evil purple flame were rising into the sky. The first was coming from transit tower, and the second from the SDC. No doubt they were both leveled, and now, Mistral and Vacuo couldn't be warned in. Remnant was doomed.

The General was thrown out of his thoughts as a soldier tackled him and pulled him through one of the cavern entrances. The Hedronian that had just been in front of him had detonated, sealing the cavern and killing hundreds, if not thousands of fleeing citizens.

The soldier that had saved his life helped him up and quickly apologized for his rash actions. The general waved it saying no apology was needed, just get the people out of the caves and to a safe place.

The crowds moved through the darkness at a painfully slow pace. It took a couple hours but, they made it out. The air was thick and full of smoke. Citizens were watching the kingdom. Atlas was burning. Despite the darkanium fires consuming the city, Atlas was mostly intact, unlike Vale.

The soldier that had saved Ironwood's life ran up to him. He was breathing heavily but people had made a way for him.

"Sir, there is someone who wants to speak with you. He only said he wanted to speak with you. Fair warning, he looked like a walking corpse."

Ironwood straightened immediately and and strode through the crowd. Standing at the edge of the crowd was a pale man. He had no eyes, and his face held a gaunt look. It moved slowly, as if it were decomposing. It wore chainmail that looked ancient. The rest of the armor was simple steel, but there was no helmet. It spoke with a haggard ancient voice.

"Are...you...Ironwood?" It asked.

"Yes, no who are you? Why are you here?" Ironwood answered.

"Messenger...Hollow." He spoke slowly. "Follow...safety...hurry."

He pointed to behind him.

"Where is this safety and why must we hurry?"

The Hollow grunted, possibly in frustration. "Lothric...Lord Hollow...Darkness...Follows."

The Hollow turned and started walking far faster than it probably should have. With there being no other choice, Ironwood followed. The citizens and soldiers of Atlas followed as well. Though, no one had any idea where Lothric was.

* * *

Things were not looking good for Remnant. Icosa had destroyed Atlas and Vale. Time was getting weaker, and Jack could feel it. He also looked it. With time starting to fail, Jack had started looking much older. Sending the citizens to Lothric had been a good plan. Although, the Hollows weren't as accepting of them.

Reaper, Energon and Crane had all seen the weakening of Jack. Bronze had been sent to Lothric to help prepare the citizens. It was a pleasant surprise to find out that Scythe had ordered Hollows to head to the remaining kingdoms and inform them of the safety of Lothric. Save as many as possible, good. The Keepers would soon be joining the people of Remnant in Lothric. Jack just needed to finish the work he was doing on his blade. Imbuing anything with power was hard, imbuing it with a power that didn't even belong to you was harder.

Reaper was kind enough to let him use the power though. A simple blade. It was pure black with a dull red aura surrounding the blade. At the hilt, small claws reached out and curved into the metal of the blade. A name was carved into the side of the blade.

The short blade had a unique power that could deal a fate worse than death. Imprisonment of the soul was not fun. The blade had been blessed with the ability to steal the literal souls from those it cuts down. At least that is how Reaper described it. Its ability to kill Hedronians suggested otherwise. After all, how can you steal a soul if there is no soul to steal.

Jack believed that the blade simply had the ability to drain the life out of anything and everything it cut through. It was the most effective tool for cutting down the beings of living darkness. But it never worked on Icosa. Over time it had grown stronger and sharper from all the energy it had stolen from its victims. All the way to the point where the blade was considered to dangerous for anyone other Jack to wield. Reaper had informed him that no stronger, nor sharper blade existed anywhere in history, fiction or otherwise. Simply put, the blade was overpowered despite not being able to release any energy or shoot bullets or transform.

Jack had allowed Reaper to choose the name, as it was his power that fueled the blade. As such he had called it the Reaver of Souls, and it was going to be their best bet at stopping Icosa. The reforging that Jack was doing to temper the blade was going to give him an edge. Imbuing the metal with his temporal powers, the blade would hopefully be enough to stop Icosa. If it didn't work...No it had to work. Icosa was going to be stopped. The timeline was going to continue, and Remnant would survive.

'Icosa could only be after Remnant...If only it were true. If only I could guarantee this would work.' Jack thought to himself. 'The doubt that often plagued his mind when faced with ever increasing odds was not helping the situation. Icosa would not stop at Remnant, he never has stopped at just one conquest, and he probably never would.

His lust for power was insatiably. First he had received power, then that power became absolute. To him, absolute power was still nothing, especially when compared to infinite. The complete power of reality, the power to be a literal god amongst gods. The entirety of universes, timelines, and histories to be his sandbox. Time and infinity united under his name. The thought had broken Jack out of his musings. He had to finish the blade. He had to stop Icosa. The Darkness would fall.

* * *

 _ **Ah, Atlas, how you disappoint me. I had hoped you would put up a better fight.**_

Atlas burned below as Icosa looked toward the Darkanium fires with a twisted sense of satisfaction. The pain of those he and his army had killed driving his, much relished, sense of euphoria at the destruction below him. The city had put up more of a fight than Vale, but it still wasn't enough.

 _ **How I pity you pitiful humans. You fell as easily as the rest shall.**_

The minutes of his musing were interrupted by one of the Hedronians. He moved to address Icosa. Icosa smirked at the fear his Hedronians was trembling with as he moved to speak.

" _Sir, I have important news. We have found a Hollow."_

 _ **Is a single Hollow really that important.**_

" _Yes sir, it was leading the citizens of Atlas away."_

 _ **Really, that is interesting.**_

" _We believe it to be leading them to Lothric, sir."_

 _ **Interesting. Follow them. Find Lothric and report back to me. I shall be in Vacuo at that time.**_

The Hedronians bowed and ran off as the Nameless King approached.

 _ **Well, my loyal General. The is a change in plans. I want you to take half the army and attack Mistral. I shall take what is left and destroy Vacuo. Then all that remains will be Lothric, and you can get you revenge. How do you think the Hollow will feel to be cut down by either his own blade or his old enemy.**_

The Nameless King nodded and beckoned part of the army to follow him. Icosa smiled as they left.

 _ **By the end of this month, Remnant shall be destroyed. And with its fall, time shall fall with it.**_

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	31. CH28 An Idea Rooted in Stupidity

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 28: An Idea Rooted in Stupidity

"Lord Hollow. I bring grave news. Atlas has fallen."

"I realized that. The steady stream of Atlesian refugees and the General of Atlas' army kind of tipped me off."

"My apologies sire. I only wished for you to be informed."

"Thank you, Yuria. Is there any other reason for this rather unexpected visit? Have the keepers returned yet?"

"Sorry to say, but no. However, scouts did report a force of Hedronians were approaching Lothric. They were following the Atlesians."

"So, Icosa is trying to find Lothric. Were the Hedronian scouts taken care of?"

"With extreme prejudice sir."

"Excellent. Report to me when the refugees stop entering and we can close our gates again."

"One more thing sir, we also received reports that Icosa is splitting his force to attack both Mistral and Vacuo simultaneously. His general is headed to one while he heads to the other. They won't stand a chance."

"I know… send a contingent of hollows to each city. Evacuate who you can."

"Sire." With a bow, Yuria left the building.

This war was just one headache after another. First Vale, then Atlas, now everywhere else. Icosa would stop at nothing to get what he wants. Appeasing the madman may have seemed like a good idea, if only he were just mad...or a man for that matter. No plans or ideas could prepare anyone for the horror that is Icosa Hedron. Another problem with appeasement is that you would have to know what he wants. Which begs the question, what did Icosa want?

"He wants you." The familiar but aged voice of the Time Keeper said. Jack walked into view.

"What? Was I thinking out loud?" Scythe asked.

"Yes." Jack answered. "But that doesn't matter. Icosa wants you, more specifically your body."

"Why? Is the one he inhabits not good enough?" Scythe responded sarcastically.

"Indeed. The problem Icosa faces is that whatever body he inhabits degrades over time. Your body doesn't stay dead. The idea appeals to him." Jack answered.

Scythe thought about that as Jack walked over to the frescoes. He was inspecting one that depicted the crowning of the Lord of Hollows.

"I would also hazard a guess that he believes it would give him power over the hollows. How terrifying would that be?" Jack continued with a slight smirk.

"Yeah terrifying." Scythe said, deep in thought.

Jack looked at the Hollow. He could see an idea forming.

"What if we give him what he wants?" Scythe asked suddenly.

"Come again." Jack stared at Scythe. "Did you really just suggest giving Icosa your body?"

"Yes." Scythe smiled manically.

"Why?" Jack was incredulous.

"It would save the people of the remaining kingdoms. Icosa may be a bad guy, but from what I have seen he will honor the deals he makes, for some time. That and he wouldn't be able to keep my body." Scythe calmly explained, manic smile still present.

"Why not? All he'd have to do is invade your mind once then-" Jack started.

"He wouldn't be able to keep my body." Scythe stated. "I believe only Hannible knows this, but I am connected to his dream. If I am "killed", rather than being reformed at a bonfire like in the old days, I reform in the Hunter's Dream. Mind and Body. You see, I am a Hollow first, but the Hunter overrides the Hollow's authority. I don't think Icosa knows this. What if I offer him this body and allow a new one to reform in the dream?"

"You are one crazy son of a motherless goat. If what you say is true, then it stands to reason that Icosa would be unable to leave your body. That could give us the chance we need to kill him."

"Excellent! Jack, I am putting you in charge of organizing the army with Yuria and Ironwood. I do not want to lose my home again." Scythe turned and ran out of the throne room, calling after Yuria.

"Impulsive. Hopefully his heir is not like that." Jack shook his head and left to find the other generals.

* * *

Yuria was not hard for Scythe to find. She was still organizing the army to head out for Vacuo and Mistral.

"Yuria, there is a change of plans. Send a single scout to Vacuo and Mistral. Give them time to prepare for an evacuation."

"Sir, how will the citizens be protected?" she asked.

"I wasn't finished. I want you to send a third scout to me. I will be waiting at the Tomb of Farron Keep."

"Sir why do you not want to send an attacking force to protect the other two kingdoms, and why do you want to go to the tomb of the Abyss Watchers."

"First off, it is the Tomb of Farron Keep, get it right. Secondly, I am still technically a Watchdog of Farron, it is only right for me to stand by them. Third, I am going to divert Icosa's attention to me. Finally, Yuria, I want you to work with the Keepers and Atlesians. We must protect Lothric. Now go, this plan is crazy but it has to work." Scythe turned and ran off to the same tomb that he and team RWBY had passed through some time prior.

He didn't have to wait long for a hollow to appear. He was dressed for war, but the armor was still light. Upon seeing Scythe, the hollow bowed.

"Lord Hollow." he greeted.

"Rise my subject. I ask that you deliver a message to Icosa Hedron. No one is to know what this message is until Icosa hears it, understand?"

The Hollow nodded slowly and stiffly.

"Excellent. Tell Icosa that if he spares Vacuo and Mistral, I shall give him what he wants. If he agrees, tell him of this location."

The Hollow bowed to Scythe and ran off, presumably towards Icosa's location. Scythe sat down next to a tomb, just thinking and hoping that his plan would work.

* * *

To tell Icosa that a Hollow had a message for him, would have made him laugh. To tell him that the same Hollow proceeded to evade all the weapons of his army of Hedronians, would given him a good laugh. To tell him it was true would have resulted in your immediate and painful demise. For that Hollow to then walk up to Icosa and tell him he had a message for him would have intrigued the harbinger of space and time.

The fact that all of these happened was indeed interesting, but then again, so was the idea that Scythe Hollow was giving himself up without a fight. All that had to happen was a sparing of Vacuo and Mistral for the time being.

 _ **Nameless, a new development has presented itself. Hold off on your attack. We are going to find the Hollow.**_

 _ **Now tell me, friend, where can I find you lord?**_

"Vacuo...Mistral...Safe?" The hollow asked.

 _ **Yes they will be spared, now where is Scythe Hollow.**_

"Lothric...Tomb...Entrance...Follow." The hollow beckoned Icosa to follow him.

Icosa smiled and walked out after the messenger.

 _ **Scythe is at the entrance of Lothric, come my subjects we have a Hollow to kill.**_

The army watched as Icosa followed the walking corpse out of the camp. They soon fell in line behind their leader. It was not long before they were joined by the contingent that had split off for Vacuo. The Nameless King was ready. It was not long before they came across a large cavern. The army halted.

"Icosa...Only." The Hollow rasped out. "Lord Hollow...will...know."

 _ **Fair enough. Nameless, wait here, when I give the signal, attack.**_

Icosa walked through the cave until he came to a large ornate door. It was slightly parted and on the other side he saw several sarcophagi and Scythe Hollow himself. Scythe smiled at him.

"Icosa Hedron." Scythe gave a mock bow. "As promised, I am here."

Icosa smiled and wasted no time in rushing the Lord of Hollows. Upon reaching him, Icosa rammed a single fist into Scythe ribcage. Scythe cried out in pain and surprise.

 _ **I really must thank you. This mistake has bought Remnant a few hours, but a body that won't degrade is well worth the trade.**_

A purple fire started to spread across Scythe's body. The pain was excruciating, but Scythe had felt worse. Slowly he felt his mind being forced out of his body. It was slowly being destroyed. Icosa was so engrossed in taking over the Hollow's body that he didn't see Scythe smile.

"You lose." Scythe whispered before everything went black to him and a strange blue eldritch mist rose around Scythe's body. After a few seconds, it disappeared.

Icosa's mind abandoned his previous body and entered Scythe's. Upon taking a deep breath, he felt...off. Shrugging it off as inhabiting a Hollow body, he drew Scythe's old blade from the sheath on his old body. He noticed that his hand was not skeletal, it still held the burning flesh of the Hollow. He could still feel his power, he just had a burning body to wield it with. However, Icosa had more important things to deal with than a strange still burning body. With a cruel smile he turned to the doors behind him. A mental command was sent out to the standing army beyond the cave.

 _ **Nameless, it's time. Bring in the army and we shall destroy Lothric. Remnant shall have no one to protect it. ATTACK!**_

Icosa blew the door off its hinges, then all hell broke loose.

* * *

"Good thing I was here."

"Crane, what is going on?"

"Jack told me you may need help. Here I am."

"And Lothric?"

"Under attack by the Hedronians."

"Figures, we need to get back to the waking world and help them."

"We shall but, you can't reform in Lothric, there is no safe area. Plus, we wouldn't have the element of surprise. There is a small clearing just to the south of that tomb. No Hedronians, and we would flank them."

"How will the Amygdalas fit through that relatively small gate?"

"They have their ways. Now come, battle awaits and this timeline shall not last much longer."

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	32. CH29: Those Who Can't Die

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Chapter 29: Those Who Can't Die

The trap had been sprung. As Hedronians poured out of the tomb, the army of Hollows were waiting. At the first sign of the enemy, the Hollows surged forth ready to defend their kingdom...and to a lesser extent the humans that inhabited the world of Remnant. The plan was simple. Hold back the enemy army as long as they could. At the first sign of Icosa they were to retreat to the castle where the humans of Remnant waited. Reaper would open portals for the Huntsmen and Huntresses in his realm when the Hedronians reached Lothric.

Despite the plan, the fight was not faring well for the Hollows. The front line of the army was starting to fall. Hollows were falling left and right, but then again so were the Hedronians, and they didn't revive back at the castle. Things took a drastic turn for the worse when a giant of a Hedronian entered the fray. He cut through the Hollows with ease. Lightning arcing off of the massive swordspear he carried into the battle.

Following him was a more terrifying being. Icosa himself. He looked exactly like Scythe Hollow but his body was on fire. A purple darkanium fire raged all across the body which he now inhabited. He strode through the battlefield, throwing everyone to the side. His power was overwhelming. He raised the blade he held in his hand, and beheaded five hollows near him. They weren't getting back up anytime ever.

The order was called to fall back to the castle. Icosa smiled as he watched the retreating Hollows. With a simple wave of his hand, thousands of his Hedronians began to form up and build the massive Dark Fiends that would be instrumental in his victory. Lothric would fall and the Darkness would rule the timeline. Icosa couldn't help but laugh at that.

* * *

The High wall of Lothric held a magnificent view of the battle. Hollows and Hedronians were falling left and right. The nervous tension on the wall was palpable. The only relief that any of the people felt was from the steely glare that Jack gave the Hedronians as they slowly pushed the Hedronians back. Hannible and Energon were busy helping some of the battalions prepare for battle. Reaper was speaking with team RWBY.

"When the Hedronians reach the castle, I will have to open portals to my home. Yang, Blake, Weiss, you three will be in charge of organizing the Huntsmen and Huntresses. They have already been informed of the situation. This castle must not fall." Reaper explained.

"What about Ruby? What will she be doing?" Yang asked, slightly worried for her sister.

"Yang, I will be fine. I am going to provide long range support until there I can't without hitting our own people." Ruby explained.

"Speaking of which, you should get to your position." Reaper commanded. Ruby nodded and dashed off. "Don't worry Yang, in the bowels of this castle are hundreds of restless souls. If she needs help, they will protect the reaper."

The words were only a small comfort. Looking back at the battlefield, the girls were slightly worried at the sight of retreating Hollows. Even more worrying were the Hedronians building themselves together to form the giant forms of the Dark Fiends. A bark of harsh laughter broke the defenders out of their thoughts. Jack was laughing at the Hedronians.

"And so, the final battle begins." He said. "Prepare yourself Remnant, today the darkness shall fall before us."

A cheer rose through the crowd as Icosa drew nearer to the castle. It was now or never. The first Dark Fiend slammed into the wall and Hedronians started vaulting over and attacking. Black portals started opening all around where the Hedronians were breaching. Huntsmen and Huntresses were pouring out and attacking the Hedronians. The members of team RWBY helping to direct them where to go. The rapid cracking of gunfire and the Hedronians collapsing to the ground as their heads were blown to smithereens was the only indication anyone had the Ruby was still around.

The Hollows that had defended the first assault joined the fray and started slicing through Hedronians. Unfortunately for each Hedronian that fell, it seemed that ten more took its place, and the numbers were beginning to have an effect. Some of the Huntsmen and Huntresses could be crying out in pain as Hedronians brought them down. The battle started turning for the worse when the Nameless King and Icosa Hedron joined the fight. Icosa immediately targeted the Keepers. The Nameless King focused on the Huntsmen and Huntresses.

The King slammed a lightning bolt onto the head of a Huntsman who charged him, killing him instantly. A Hollow tried approaching for a backstab, but he was killed by a single swing of the sword spear, that also took out ten others surrounding him. The crack of a sniper and a thud into the back of his head alerted the Nameless King to a more serious threat. He looked to the tower the shot had come from and began moving toward it.

Yang saw where the Nameless King was going and ran at him, propelling herself faster with the shotgun gauntlets. She reared her fist back to knock out the massive Hedronian, but he got her first. In a feat that should be impossible for a being of his size, the Nameless King swung his sword spear around to intercept Yang's flight by smashing the weapon into her face. She was sent sprawling to the ground, unconscious. The crack of gunfire and a dull impact informed the King that Ruby had seen her sister go down.

The King and continued walking toward the tower the gunshot had come from. Hearing the sounds of clashing blades, he looked up and saw Icosa dueling with Jack atop the main tower. The other three keepers were either down or helping in other areas of the castle. The Nameless king reached the tower that Ruby was perched on and jumped up it in a matter of seconds. The small reaper was quite startled at the sudden appearance of the massive Hedronian but gathered herself impressively quickly.

The Nameless King barely had a second to react as Ruby swung her scythe around to hit the king. With deft agile movements the King blocked the heavy blade with his own. Ruby could feel the storm gathering, listening to the wishes of the King in front of her. He raised his spear, now charged with electricity and slammed it onto the roof tower. Ruby dashed out of the way of the blade, but the explosion that happened after caught her off guard. Her blade was sent off the side of tower.

With nothing else to use, Ruby sent out a silent call for help. The souls in the castle recognized her authority and responded. Above ground, Hedronians, Humans, faunus, and Hollows alike all felt a rumbling in the castle. From the darkened hallways that lead deeper into the castle came forth armored knights. Ancient suits of Lothric armor adorned these knew warriors. Their imposing appearance was matched only by the determination for their single goal.

"Protect the Reaper!" The knights repeated over and over as they ran towards the tower that Ruby was on.

On top of the tower, the Nameless King had Ruby in his clutches. She was held by her neck over the edge of the tower, slowly being choked out. The Nameless King was taking some satisfaction in seeing the life slowly ebb out of Ruby. He was distracted by shouts from below. They were proclaiming "PROTECT THE REAPER!"

The first knight to appear over the edge of the tower saw Ruby in danger and immediately jumped on the Nameless King, causing him to fall back with Ruby still in his hand. The distraction was enough for Ruby to get free, as more and more of the knights leapt at the King. He was putting up a valiant fight, but it wasn't enough. He slammed his fist into one of them and it shattered, bones and armor flying off the tower. Ruby was shocked, she realized that she had summoned them. A hand grasped her shoulder and she jumped. Looking at the owner of the hand, she recognized Scythe Hollow. He was holding Crescent Rose.

"I believe this belongs to you." He said handing her the weapon. "Now Ruby, it seems that an old enemy of mine needs to be put down again and Jack looks like he could use some help. I will finish off the Nameless King, you go help the Time Keeper."

Ruby nodded and dashed off toward the center tower of Lothric. Scythe drew Blazing Judgement and readied himself. The Nameless King was still being swarmed by the dead knights. Scythe ran forward to engage the massive Hedronian in combat. The King swung his sword spear through the ranks of the knights and sent more of them off the edge. He was unprepared to be stabbed through his chest by a glowing purple blade. He the felt a boot press into his back and force him off the blade and over the edge of the tower. As he fell he saw the smirking face of Scythe Hollow, followed by the dead knights jumping off after him to protect the reaper.

* * *

Jack was not faring all that well against Icosa. Of course Icosa had wanted to be somewhat honorable and they were dueling it out with their blades. The blades were currently locked together in a match of will and strength.

 _ **Come now Jack, your age is catching up with you. Just let me have this timeline and I may spare your precious pet projects!**_

"Neither will I give you this timeline nor any other timeline Icosa!" Jack spat.

The grin on Icosa's burning head grew wider.

 _ **I had hoped you would say that, now you die.**_

Icosa forced Jack's blade into the ground, and punched him in the gut. Jack released his hold on the sword. The blade was thrown off the tower. Jack simply drew another, this one a sinister black with a dull crimson aura.

 _ **You actually brought the Reaver of Souls. Jack, you shouldn't have.**_

Jack scowled at Icosa's mocking tone and charged forward. Using the blade that once belonged to Scythe Hollow, Icosa blocked the swing with a practiced ease. A lunge from Icosa and a parry from Jack had them reverse sides. Jack could see that Icosa was a little more wary around the deadly blade. Jack swung the blade overhead, Icosa raised his own blade to block and smirked at Jack. The moment the two blades made contact, Icosa willed the fire one his arm to flare brighter. The light blinded Jack long enough for Icosa to disarm the Keeper. Jack backed off slowly.

 _ **Despite all of your training, you have never been able to beat me Jack. This timeline will be mine whether you give it to me or I take it by force.**_

"Never." Jack growled.

Jack willed time to condense around his hands. His hands started glowing white as two ethereal spheres materialised into existence in his hands.

 _ **Really Jack? I thought you would try for something a little better than swords.**_

A blast of white light flew past Icosa and hit one of the ramparts on the tower. The rock that was hit slowly crumbled into nothing as time seemed to be sped up around it.

 _ **So, that's how we're going to play huh?**_

Icosa sent his own blast of darkanium at Jack. Another blast of time hit the darkanium and the two elements blew up. This continued for some time and was Ruby climbed over the wall to see. The battle was taking its toll on reality around them. Swirling black cracks that led to the void could be seen forming around the tower. Reality itself was starting to crumble from the duel between the two beings.

Icosa threw another blast of darkanium and ran at Jack. Jack blasted it with time but was unprepared for the wicked uppercut that Icosa threw at him. Jack was launched back and landed on the tiled roof, unconscious. Icosa slowly stalked over to him, the sinister grin never leaving his face. Ruby, had to act quickly, she took aim, and fired at Icosa. The bullet hit right where his heart would have been. He stumbled forward and whirled around to face Ruby.

 _ **Ah, so the prodigy has appeared, do you think you can fare better than time?**_

"No, but I can try." Ruby said confidently.

Icosa laughed and charged at the Reaper. Ruby started twirling her Scythe. With each twirl of the massive weapon she was able to block Icosa's blade. Icosa attempted a lunge at her, but she spun out of the way. Exiting her spin, she grabbed her Scythe at its base and swung it at Icosa, and completely bisected him at the waist. Ruby smiled at her little victory, that smile was wiped away pretty quickly when Scythe literally pulled himself back together. He smirked at Ruby before rushing in and delivering a wicked punch to her gut, which he followed into a roundhouse kick to her face. She was sent flying to where Jack had landed.

 _ **It seems that you didn't stand a chance either, shame really, I had high hopes for you.**_

Icosa raised his curved blade to strike at Ruby. Imagine his surprise when a glowing purple blade and a twin burning blade crossed together to form an effective guard to block the strike. Icosa glared at the wielder of the weapons and was surprised to see Scythe Hollow pushing against the blade.

 _ **IMPOSSIBLE! Hedronization should have disconnected you from the flame!**_

Scythe smirked "It probably would have if you hadn't forgotten who I am."

 _ **Then who are you Scythe Hollow?!**_

"Well, Icosa Hedron, I am Scythe Hollow, Lord of Hollows, professor at Beacon, and THE LAST HUNTER OF YHARNAM! I AM STILL CONNECTED TO THE DREAM. NOW BACK AWAY FROM THE TIME KEEPER AND MY HEIR!" Scythe roared and pushed with enough force to throw Icosa onto the roof. He rushed at the downed harbinger and began his own flurry of attacks which even Icosa was struggling to keep up with.

Ruby got up to help, but was stopped by a hand on her arm.

"Ruby, we can't beat him like this." Jack said slowly sitting up. "We have to use the Reaver."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"The Reaver of Souls, was made to destroy Hedronians, Icosa is in a body he can't escape, it should be enough to destroy him." Jack explained. "I can't, my fight with him drained me, you and your ancestor have to end this." Jack let her go.

A loud explosion sounded where Scythe and Icosa were fighting. Fire was spreading around the tower. Scythe threw another fireball at Icosa and another explosion was heard. Icosa was distracted by a fireball and Scythe had the fire in his hand burning brighter. Ruby knew what was going to happen, the moment before it did. Scythe grabbed Icosa with his pyromantic flame and started pumping fire into Icosa's hollow body. The fire that had been surrounding Icosa slowly started to turn orange.

Recognizing that there was not much time left, Ruby used her semblance and dashed toward the discarded Reaver of Souls. Picking the blade up, she could feel and hear the trapped souls in the blade calling out for release. She ignored the voices as best she could and ran at Icosa. The fire on his body had completely turned orange and were intensifying. With no better place to put his, Ruby stabbed the blade into Icosa's skull. She jumped back as Scythe released the flame in Icosa at the same time.

Scythe and Ruby both took cover as Icosa screamed in pain and rage. His body burning brighter before a massive explosion of purple and white fire engulfed the top of the tower. The shockwave was felt all throughout the castle and hedronians started burning up. The darkanium that covered their skeletons caught fire and burned up in a flash. Realizing the battle was over and that they had won, a cheer went up around Lothric. The cheering turned to groaning as the Hollows immediately started ordering people around to clean up the skeletons of the dead Hedronians. It was going to be a long week.

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

 **Data Log DF036 Information- Please leave constructive criticism. Updates to the archives take it into account, and it is much appreciated.**

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 **End Log S.T.K.**


	33. EPI: Crowning Achievement

**FILE_RECOVERY_COMPLETE**

 **Information-Dark Souls and Bloodborne belong to Fromsoftware, and RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.**

Epilogue: Crowning Achievement

The victory over Icosa Hedron had not come without its cost. Heroes were buried and mourned, the kingdoms of Vale and Atlas had to be rebuilt, and Lothric had to be cleaned. In the months following Icosa's defeat, the Atlesians returned to Atlas to rebuild. The rebuilding took a relatively short two months, Energon had opted to go and help them. In the end, the defenses of the city were better than ever.

The citizens of Vale stayed to help the Hollows of Lothric clean the skeletons out of the castle. In a few short weeks Lothric was restored to its former glory. As thanks, Scythe Hollow and a large contingent of Hollows went with Vale's citizens to help rebuild the destroyed kingdom. The work too a long seven months, but the city was soon restored to livable. Beacon academy had to be completely demolished before it could be rebuilt. Icosa's own work on the building had made a both a health and safety hazard to even be near the building. Construction began on a new Beacon once Vale was livable again.

On the political side of things, Scythe had returned to his post as Lord of Hollows, and led Lothric in the start of a glorious new age. He opened a free trade agreement with Vale, and a non-aggression pact with Atlas. Peace was established for the kingdom in a short time. An academy to train warriors was also opened in Lothric. To honor the Keeper that had kept him alive to protect his country, the school was named Byrgenwerth, though the students of that school tended to lean more toward scholarly knowledge rather than warrior training. Scythe became more well known internationally, despite being the king of the last true monarchy in the world. Despite the power, he was still the benevolent leader that his subjects remembered.

Students from Beacon still had schooling to finish, and Scythe allowed any students who wished to attend Byrgenwerth, with him as temporary headmaster of the school. Only a few teams chose not to go. RWBY was among the first team to join. Several of Beacon's old professors that had survived were hired for temporary employment at the school until Beacon was opened.

Grimm attacks during the time of rebuilding had all but ceased. They could still be found, but they were much more subdued. They gradually grew more aggressive overtime as the fear of Icosa slowly dissipated. Other than that nothing new had happened.

Remnant flourished under the new age of peace like never before. Scholars and historians called the time the Golden Age of Man. At the end of four years, RWBY graduated from Byrgenwerth as the top of their class. A graduation party for that team alone was held on Patch at Ruby and Yang's home. It was the first time that Taiyang got to meet Scythe Hollow. They hit it off rather well. Ruby's Uncle Qrow got to know Scythe as well. About an hour into the party, Scythe pulled the two away from the party. He explained who he was to Ruby, as her ancestor, and explained who Ruby was meant to be. The two men reluctantly agreed with Scythe's plan and enjoyed the rest of the party.

Time passed and team RWBY had grown more independent of each other, they were still friends and still got together, but they didn't always do missions together anymore. Ruby found the time sad, but it was two months after her twentieth birthday that everything was flipped on its head. A major shift in the political climate was approaching and the the messenger Hollows were its heralds. Ruby was quite pleasantly surprised that day when she found Scythe at her door telling her that she needed to get ready to go and that her friends were already on their way.

Messenger Hollows had taken invites to T.V. stations, political leaders, Huntsmen, and Huntresses to inform them of a major event happening in Lothric castle in two days. The days passed quickly but it came time. The throne room of Lothric was packed with people and T.V. crews. All the major news networks were there. It was quite the show. Cornyx and Yuria were at the back of the hall talking with each other about the event.

"Tell me Yuria, do you know what is going on?" Cornyx inquired.

"Unfortunately no, but from what I have heard, Lord Hollow has been planning this for a few years now." Yuria responded.

"Most interesting. I had wondered if he had told you more, apparently not. I believe it has something to do with the throne." Cornyx mused.

"Probably, but here he comes." Yuria said.

Scythe Hollow strode through the crowd, as he passed the rows of people, Hollows and humans alike bowed to him. He was garbed in the armor of the Abyss watchers, except for the crown signifying his rank. He stopped in front of his throne, and to the shock of the Hollow, took the crown off and placed it on the throne.

"Today I have asked you here because I have an important announcement. I am stepping down as Lord of Hollows." Scythe spoke to the crowd. A palpable silent tension filled the room as the reality of Scythe's announcement set in. "I have ruled from this throne for over two thousand years. But I have grown old and the keepers have fulfilled my wish. As you know, a Hollow can die permanently under certain circumstances, I have never had that luxury until now. The keepers have granted my one wish, to be allowed to rest in death. As such, we are here today as I crown my heir. Ruby Rose, please come here."

Ruby nervously stood from her seat and approached Scythe Hollow. He smiled gently at her as she knelt in front of him.

"Lothric, Remnant, this is Ruby Rose, leader of team RWBY, and my descendent separated by many generations. She has shown herself to be a leader worthy of respect. A few years ago, when we fought Icosa Hedron, I revealed to her that she was the Heir of Hollows. Today she sheds that title." Scythe grabbed the crown and placed it on her head. "Ruby, with this duty, should you choose to accept it, you will be charged with leading Lothric with the benevolence it deserves. No matter the times you are to present yourself as a firm leader. I trust with this responsibility, do you accept this role."

"Yes. I accept this duty." Ruby responded.

"Then I, Scythe Hollow, honorable Lord of Hollows proclaim you Ruby Rose, The Queen of Lothric, Lady of Hollows. Rise and may your reign be long, prosperous, and you be unable to die." Scythe spoke.

Ruby rose and as Scythe set the crown on her head. He stepped back and bowed to her. One are over his heart, one out to the side. The citizens of Lothric did the same as Ruby smiled at her subjects. As he bowed to her, Scythe knew that he had made the right choice. Being the headmaster of Byrgenwerth was a fun job, and he would be able to tell Ruby about his past as he promised her. He knew that Ruby Rose would be an excellent Queen of Lothric. She would be an Honorable Lady of Hollows.

 **ERROR-DATA_CORRUPTION-BEGIN_FILE_RECOVERY.../...**

 **Data Log DF037 Information- And thus it ends. As much as I enjoyed this story, it is time for me to close the book on The Hollows of Remnant. I hope you who read this story have enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. This has been a fun experience. A special thanks to everyone who has been with me since the beginning and everyone who read through the entire story. I do plan to have more stories with Scythe Hollow as I grew to like him more than I thought I would. The Keepers are also likely to appear in future stories as well. For now, I close out the Hollows of Remnant.**

 **Input command-tip_hat...Command accepted. Input command-Close**

 **Goodbye viewer, Fare thee well.**

 **End Log S.T.K.**

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 **He is the Dark. He is one.** _ **I am the Dark, I am one.**_


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